


Only the Fit Survive

by fems



Series: Survival Series [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Reality, Drama, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-11 10:59:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 70,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4432955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fems/pseuds/fems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bra’tac and Sam are on the run from the Goa’uld and have to find a way for Sam to get rid of Herit, before the baby is born. Meanwhile, Jack has to deal with the choices he made aboard Klorel’s ship and tries everything within in his power to find Sam.</p>
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</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: see profile.  
> The awesome Amara D’Angeli has been my beta for this fic, but any mistakes are my own. A Karswyll has helped me brainstorm to fully develop the idea. I always appreciate feedback and/or constructive criticism or just a comment to let me know why you (don’t) like it.

**Stargate Command**  
**Colorado Springs, CO**  
**November 24, 1997**

Jack and his team were sitting in the briefing room, waiting for their meeting with Hammond. Now that the SGC was back in operation people were milling about, corridors were full with SFs again, the scientists were all playing in their labs and SG teams were prepping for new missions. It had been almost six weeks since SG-1 had saved Earth from a Goa'uld attack, narrowly escaping with their lives, but the go ahead for the Program had only come a week ago and everyone was still trying to get back into the swing of things.

General Hammond came up the stairs from the control room, an apologetic look on his face as he greeted them. "Good morning, SG-1. Sorry I'm late, I was just going over some new protocols for the iris with Doctor Langford."

"That's okay, Sir," Jack said, smirking, "the sooner Catherine is done, the sooner we can get back out there."

"Not quite, son." Hammond took his seat at the head of the table and opened the folder that he'd placed there earlier.

"But General, we have to get back out there," Daniel cried. "Sha're was nowhere to be found on that ship and could still be alive."

"I concur. With our defeat of Apophis and Klorel we must return to Chulak and other planets within Apophis' domain to build a rebellion among the Jaffa."

Jack grimaced at the mention of Klorel. He was still dealing with what had become of the Abydonian boy Skaara and the fact that he'd had to shoot him. Of course, the sarcophagus had brought Skaara back to life but the Goa'uld had taken over again. Last they'd seen of him, was when they'd locked him and Apophis on the bridge of Apophis' ship before they'd blown it up. The view of Earth from their death glider had almost been the last thing they'd seen, before the shuttle Endeavor intersected their orbit and took them aboard. "We don't know if Apophis and Klorel actually died in the explosion," he reminded everyone. "There's more than one way off that ship, as Daniel proved. It's possible they and the Goa'uld in Captain Carter got away in time."

"We're certain it was Captain Carter?"

"Moac confirmed Herit's host was a  _Tau'ri_ , Sir," Jack said. "And the things Teal'c overheard the Goa'uld say on the ship are things only someone from Earth can know."

"And he, um, also gave a description," Daniel said, flipping through his notebook. "Ah, yes, here it is: beautiful, tall, fair-skinned, golden hair, and  _khesbet_  eyes. Um,  _khesbet_  roughly translates to blue, or lapis lazuli."

"Or to shine like heaven," Teal'c added, with a nod to Daniel.

Kershaw cleared her throat and waited until all eyes were on her before speaking. "So, we know Skaara is host to Klorel, Captain Carter is host to Herit and Sha're is a host to some unknown Goa'uld. The first two possibly escaped the ship and it looked Sha're wasn't even present. Moac said she'd been with Apophis when they first split up in two ships and by the time they rendezvoused, she was gone. Apophis is either dead or escaped with Klorel and maybe Herit."

"And Master Bra'tac stayed on Klorel's ship to capture Herit," Hammond stated.

"We do not know if he succeeded."

Jack could tell Teal'c took it hard, not knowing the fate of his old mentor. And he felt for the guy, even for that old coot, but he was more worried about Sam. There hadn't been enough time to locate her  _and_  ensure Earth's safety, so he'd been forced to make a decision. As a fellow officer, she'd have known why he did what he did, but the thought of leaving her there, with that Goa'uld in her head…

"But he managed to disable the shields and steer Klorel's ship closer to the one belonging to Apophis," Kershaw reminded them. "We know that for a fact, or the two ships wouldn't have blown up together."

"If he did not survive, at least he died free," Teal'c said.

Hammond nodded, his gaze sympathetic. "Well, we gave Moac a GDO and SG-1's IDC, so if he learns anything about Master Bra'tac's fate or that of Captain Carter, Skaara or Sha're, he'll be able to contact us."

"And when Catherine is done with her upgrades, we can go back out there and look for them," Jack said.

"Exactly, we now have confirmation that Captain Carter is alive. That should count for something, right? I mean, before we just didn't know where she could possibly be and the higher ups assumed she was dead, but we know differently now."

"But we don't, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said. "She could have died in that explosion and, considering we have no idea how to successfully remove a Goa'uld, that might even be what she would have preferred."

Jack frowned although he knew his CO meant well. Skaara had sounded torn and horrified over the actions of his Goa'uld and Kendra from Cimmeria had been traumatized, so maybe death would be preferable. "Are you saying we're not allowed to search for her, General?"

General Hammond shook his head and took a few papers from the folder in front of him. "No, that's not what I'm saying, Colonel. We don't know where to start looking for Captain Carter if she survived, but we can gather intel off-world until we have some credible leads."

"So, what's the problem, Sir?"

"The problem, Lieutenant, is that SG-1 isn't cleared for gate travel yet." Hammond held up his hand to forestall their protests and sighed. "Doctor Jackson, you nearly died and if it hadn't been for the sarcophagus, you wouldn't be here today. It's SOP to undergo some mandatory sessions with Doctor MacKenzie until he clears you for gate travel. As of yet, he hasn't heard from you."

Jack shot his friend a reproving glare. He hated shrinks but Daniel was the kind of touchy-feely guy who'd actually benefit from seeing one, especially after everything that had happened – the nearly dying part and Sha're and Skaara. Not to mention that he'd told him this a couple of weeks ago and Daniel had promised to go see MacKenzie. "I'm sure we can clear that up right after this meeting, Sir."

"Not so fast, Jack," the General said. "As you know, the President and JCS have decided to add three new teams to the SGC now that Kinsey has reconsidered cutting our funding. We've talked about more thorough screening, so I want you to be in charge of the selection procedure."

He nodded in understanding and leaned back in his chair. "Will do, Sir."

"Good. Teal'c and Lieutenant Kershaw I want you two to train the other SG teams in new training scenarios, based on your experiences aboard Apophis and Klorel's ships. You can use Jaffa tactics to catch them off-guard, Teal'c. The Lieutenant can explain how SG-1, with the help of Master Bra'tac and Moac, managed to escape. With our attack on Apophis and Klorel we've made ourselves a bigger target for the other Goa'uld and I doubt this was the last time you all set foot aboard a mothership. Our other teams need you to prepare them."

"Very well, General Hammond," Teal'c said, inclining his head.

Kershaw was bobbing her head eagerly. "Yes, Sir. I call dibs on one of the zat guns we brought back!"

"Good. This will give you plenty of time to see Doctor MacKenzie," Hammond told Daniel. "Once you've all fulfilled your assignments, you can go back through the gate. Dismissed."

* * *

**Unknown Planet**  
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam swallowed some water and placed her waterskin on the ground next to her. The cave was cold and she shivered, snuggling deeper in her cloak. Since escaping Klorel's ship, she and Bra'tac had been planet hopping. Mostly to uninhabited planets or at least ones where the immediate area surrounding the stargate was uninhabited. Their current planet didn't have a name as far as he was aware and he'd only identified it by its point of origin on the DHD. There were lots of trees and enough fruits and nuts for the two of them.

The weather sucked, though. It had started pouring and thundering about an hour after their arrival, according to her estimation. They'd been forced to abandon their foraging and found shelter in the cave. It was shallow and damp, though. That was two days ago and the thundering hadn't stopped until earlier over breakfast – some nuts and a strange-looking fruit. Bra'tac was confident the pouring rain would lessen within the day. Sam wasn't so sure, but in their brief time together she'd learned to keep things like that to herself. Bra'tac had pledged his loyalty to her and from what she could glean of what little he'd told her, he would lay down his life for her if it came to it. However, he was also the one she had to rely on for survival on all these alien worlds.

God, she couldn't wait for the rain to stop and to get out of there. The quick latrine trips were awful and left her cloak damp from the rain. And she really wanted to clean herself up properly. Most of their supplies were already gone but she still had some sodium bicarbonate – baking soda – she'd taken from Herit's stash. Sam had immediately recognized the stuff back on the ship. The slaves had used it to bathe her and the taste was quite distinctive. Years ago, during the Gulf, her bunkmate had introduced her to its versatility; she'd used it for her teeth, skin, hair, upset stomach and everything when there wasn't anything else available. But washing herself wasn't really an option in the shallow cave. Even if it was, she'd have been hesitant, because Bra'tac didn't know about her pregnancy yet and she'd really started to show about three planets ago. Not enough for it to be visible through her clothes, unless she pulled the fabric down, but there was definite swelling when naked.

"Is there any fruit left?"

"None," Bra'tac said, opening his eyes from where he was seated in lotus position. "We ate several hours ago and have not been active enough to require sustenance yet. Once the rain subsides, we will continue foraging and we can eat afterwards."

Sam gnawed her lip, unsure of how to respond. Perhaps they didn't  _need_  food, but her baby did. A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit couldn't be enough to sustain it for half a day. " _If_  the rain lets up."

"It will."

"What are you doing?"

He sighed and unfolded his legs, shifting on the floor to get comfortable. "I was in kelno'reem, a state of very deep meditation. It must be performed by a Jaffa each day. In this waking sleep, the subconscious mind of a Jaffa becomes one with the symbiote, allowing it to repair or heal an illness. Without kelno'reem on a regular basis, a Jaffa will die."

"Is that why you rarely sleep?"

"Indeed."

She nodded in understanding, relieved to know that was the reason why he always seemed awake whenever she woke up in the middle of the night. Usually, she woke abruptly from a nightmare, for a moment thinking she was back on that ship with Klorel, but sometimes she just really needed to use the bathroom. Bra'tac was always awake during those moments and she'd felt bad for making him feel like he had to stand guard the whole time. "Oh."

"You do not do well with silences."

"Not when I'm stuck in a cave for days on end without anything to occupy myself with," she said truthfully.

Bra'tac seemed to process this, before he raised a brow. "Perhaps you can tell me then why you did not escape the  _ha'tak_  sooner, if you were in control of the parasite this whole time. You chose to stay and pretend to be a Goa'uld instead."

"Why didn't  _you_  leave the Goa'uld earlier if you don't believe them to be gods? Why wait over a hundred and thirty years before making a stand?" Sam asked, her tone a bit defensive. He'd made it sound like she  _preferred_  staying with Klorel. "And why did you choose to follow and join  _me_?"

"It was time."

She frowned and waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, she decided a different tactic. "If you tell me why, I'll tell you what you want to know."

Bra'tac narrowed his eyes, as if gauging her, "Hm, very well." He nodded to himself and took a sip of water, before opening up. "Nearly two years ago, I received my final  _prim'ta_ , even though I was no longer Apophis' First Prime. It was a reward for serving the gods faithfully. A  _prim'ta_  matures in seven to eight of your years and I will be deemed too old for another once this one is ready to take a host: it is how old warriors die.

"I long believed the Goa'uld to be false gods and I used my favored position within the court of Apophis to sow the seeds of rebellion. As mentor to many young Jaffa in  _bashaak_  training, I could easily detect spark of doubts in these  _chal'tii_  and teach them my beliefs of false gods. My successor, Teal'c of Chulak, defected to your kind, the  _Tau'ri_ , almost one year ago. Upon seeing him again aboard Klorel's  _ha'tak_ , I knew he chose well and that it was time  _I_  did what was right. I had observed you for long enough to know your true identity and from you, I learned to admire the  _Tau'ri_  spirit. That is how I knew my place would be at your side."

"You saw Teal'c on the ship? He was one of the prisoners?"

"Indeed. You know him, yes?"

Sam shook her head. "No, we've never met. But I know of him and his team. It was SG-1 in the cell?" The thought of them dying aboard that ship caused panic to well within her. Why hadn't she done more to help them? Sure, she'd slipped them enough information to let them know she was from Earth as well, but they might not have realized. Or perhaps they'd been unconscious. And she had just left them there, too concerned about her own welfare…

"Yes, but I set them free and helped them capture Korel. One of my apprentices, Moac, accompanied them to Apophis'  _ha'tak_  with Klorel as their hostage. They were determined to destroy the vessel and prevent the attack on the  _Tau'ri_."

She regretted not speaking to them herself. But what would she have said? Could she have convinced them she wasn't Herit? Would Jack have remembered her? She knew her hair was longer from her time with the Goa'uld but other than that, she hadn't changed much. That wasn't a guarantee he'd recognize her, though. For all she knew, he'd already forgotten about that night in DC. Hell, she knew why she hadn't done all of that; it could have blown her cover and then she'd have joined them in their cell or worse, become Klorel's personal plaything or something. "I hope they made it out alive," she said instead.

"Moac is a reliable accomplice and O'Neill is an impressive leader for a human. I am certain he explored all options to abandon the  _ha'tak_  in order to keep his people safe."

Sam stared out at the pouring rain. "I don't doubt it, but that doesn't guarantee anything. I do, however, believe they succeeded in destroying Apophis' ship. Before leaving the  _ha'tak_ , I disabled the shields on Klorel's ship so it should have exploded alongside the other one."

"Then your planet is safe."

"For now. Like you said, there's more than one way off that ship; for all we know, Apophis and Klorel left as well."

He nodded and added some wood to their fire. "We will remain vigilant."

"Do you think they'd search for us?"

"Yes," he said, without thinking. "Teal'c betrayed them first and Apophis wants to kill him in the most painful way possible for revenge. I have no doubt Klorel feels similar about me and," he looked at her, sympathy in his gaze, "you are well aware of how cruel he can be, even to those he claims to love. He will not rest until he repays you for leaving, especially if you kill his mate in the process."

She let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through her greasy hair. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"No," he simply said. "And now, Captain Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force, tell me why you chose to leave when you did. There were other opportunities for you, yet you stayed."

"By the time I was capable of leaving the ship was in hyperspace. Then I learned of their plans to attack Earth."

"You chose to stay to prevent them striking your home planet. Admirable," he stated, "but foolish."

"Why? Because I could have spared myself a day or two of being Klorel's mate by escaping earlier? I'd have to live with what I did to survive either way and such short respite didn't outweigh saving Earth."

"You were abandoned on the planet we first found you. By other  _Tau'ri_."

Sam nodded an affirmative, the memory of Grieves turning on her still enough to make her blood run cold. His motives, other than stealing the advanced technology, were unclear to her and she had no idea what he'd told everyone back home about her. They probably thought she was a traitor, like he'd promised before he shot her. "Yeah, you were right that day," she said, licking her lips, "my team betrayed me and left me behind for dead."

"Yet you subjected yourself to Klorel for longer than necessary to save them."

"Of course," she said, "just because my CO betrayed me, doesn't mean I want everyone on Earth to die or suffer at the hands of the Goa'uld. I couldn't let Klorel go ahead with his plan just to get revenge on Grieves; there are close to six billion people living on Earth, all of whom have no idea about the stargate or the Goa'uld. Among them my brother and his family and our father."

Bra'tac seemed to process this, his gaze on the fire. When he looked up again there was a silent challenge in his eyes. "Yet you did not stay to ensure the destruction of Klorel and Apophis'  _ha'taks_."

"I'd done my part by disabling the shields on Klorel's ship and I knew the imprisoned SG team would find a way out." She said with more confidence than she felt, before smiling at him, "I didn't expect it to be you, though. But I had to trust them to complete their mission."

"Why? You were telling the truth about the shield your people have in front of their  _chaapa'ai_  when Apophis interrogated you, were you not? Then you cannot go home. Yet you didn't stay but escaped to a planet you had no intention of staying at and without much of a plan for your survival. What is the secret that drove you to this, Captain Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force?"

Sam knew he was the closest thing to a friend she had right now and she had to believe she could trust him after everything he'd done for her since they escaped. Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and undid her cloak. She could see the moment his confusion made way for surprise when she placed her hand on her swollen abdomen, showing him the evidence of her pregnancy.

"You are with child." His tone was mixture of awe and horror. "The Rite of  _Un ḥer ȧm setcherit…_ do the  _Tau'ri_  have a shorter gestation period than other humans?"

"No," she said, shaking her head as she fastened her cloak again.

"But you and Klorel-"

"It's not his."

For the first time since she'd met him, Bra'tac looked truly stunned. "You were in my custody the entire time between your capture and implantation," he said slowly. "You were with child already?"

She lowered herself back to the ground and shifted to get comfortable. "Yes, I had no idea until Herit told me."

"The Goa'uld knew? Is that how you were able to control her?"

"Yes. Herit told me my body could not host both but she had big plans for my baby, so she put herself to sleep to prevent a miscarriage. From what I understand, a Goa'uld takes nutrients and other things they need from the host to survive and remain in control. Doing so during a pregnancy would deprive the fetus - um, an unborn child - of essential nutrients and such they need to develop and thereby causing a spontaneous abortion. The deep sleep Herit entered is akin to the hibernation some cold weather animals undergo when food is scarce; they sleep for months while their bodies require little energy and nutrients, ensuring they survive the colder months too."

"She is still alive then, as I suspected," Bra'tac said, with narrowed eyes.

Sam nodded, fidgeting with her cloak. "She would only wake when I was in the sarcophagus. I don't know how long I can avoid her regaining control, which is why I want to get rid of her as soon as possible."

"That is easier said than done,  _Tau'ri_. I have not heard of any human surviving an extraction and would not know where to begin looking for a way."

"I do," she said. "As soon as the weather clears up, we'll forage and then we travel to Cimmeria."


	2. 2

**Stargate Command**  
**Colorado Springs, CO**  
 **December 18, 1997**

Their latest mission had been a boring recon and while Jack was happy that his team was back on the mission roster, he really would have liked some action. Strange how he almost missed having Apophis' Jaffa on his six, he thought. He stopped doodling in his notebook when Daniel finally wound down from his retelling of events that day and looked up.

"Thank you, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said. "Does anyone have something to add to this very detailed summary?"

Jack glanced at his other teammates before also shaking his head. "Nope, Sir. Was a damn boring mission."

"And the natives?"

"They knew nothing," Teal'c said with disdain. "They were, however, interested in setting up trade relations for medicinal herbs."

"I'd suggest sending Makepeace's team, but the Marines might scare them," Jack said with a shrug. There really wasn't anything special about this planet or what the natives had to offer, but he took pleasure from the Marines' suffering on missions like these.

"Um, what about the science team? They'd probably enjoy seeing the effects from the herbs and talk to the natives about their medicinal rituals. Is there any news about the team commander for SG-7 yet?"

Hammond glanced up at the archaeologist's question. "Colonel Grieves' transfer to Utah has been made official while you were on your mission, Doctor Jackson. We're still looking into who will replace him. I'll check the mission roster to see which other team can do this follow-up mission."

"SG-10, -11 and -12 aren't ready for their own mission yet, Sir," Jack hastened to add. "I'd like them to wrap up their training with Teal'c this month and then they can accompany Makepeace, Ferretti or my team on a mission or two."

"Very well, Colonel."

"General, if you don't mind me asking, has there been any news about Sha're, Skaara or Captain Carter while we were away?"

"I'm afraid not, Doctor Jackson. Three teams have returned in the past week but no one has heard even as much as a whisper about them or Apophis."

"Well, that's a disappointment," Kershaw said.

Hammond nodded and started collecting his files. "Well, if that's all, SG-1, you're dismissed. Oh and be careful on your way home; there's been quite a bit of snow this week."

"Great," Daniel muttered, as he too started packing up his things. "I'm not sure my car can handle all that. Can one of you give me a ride?"

Jack exchanged glances with Kershaw and shrugged. "Sure, I can give you a ride. We live in the same direction, so that way the Lieutenant doesn't have to detour to get you to your overstuffed apartment."

"Thanks," Kershaw said. "I think I'm gonna go right away, I still have some Christmas shopping to do."

"Don't forget we're spending Christmas Eve's at Janet's," Daniel called after her.

Jack's eyebrows shot up in surprise, after Kershaw had already left. "We are?"

"Indeed. Doctor Fraiser engineered it so we may all celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with Cassandra Fraier," Teal'c said.

"She even got the General to ask permission for Teal'c to leave the base, remember?"

"Oh, right." Jack frowned, wondering how he could have forgotten. Fraiser had suggested it after he and Daniel had accompanied her and Cassie on Halloween. Cassie had been so excited at the prospect that he couldn't have said no, even though he hadn't celebrated Christmas since Charlie died. "I guess I'll have to buy the munchkin some presents this weekend."

Daniel looked at him smugly as he stacked his folders. "Before we left I asked them to hold Cassandra's present for me at the toy store. Why don't you give me a ride into town tomorrow so I can pick it up and you buy your own present?"

"Sure," he said reluctantly. He really wasn't in the mood for festivities. "You gonna join us, Teal'c?"

The Jaffa raised one brow as if to ask him if he was serious. "I accompanied Doctor Langford to the shopping mall eight days ago and made my all Christmas purchases."

"Oh great, so I'm the only one who hasn't bought anything yet."

"Well, you and Christina," Daniel reminded him. "Speaking of which, did you know that date she had a couple of weeks ago was with Makepeace? Ferretti just told me during my post-mission checkup that he saw them together and apparently, that wasn't even the first time."

Jack made a face at the thought of the two of them together. "Kershaw is dating a Marine?"

"Makepeace," Daniel said with a shudder, as if that was even worse.

"Do you not consider him to be a warrior worthy of her caliber, O'Neill?"

"Uh, I dunno. It's just… he's a Marine."

Before they could continue their conversation or leave, General Hammond came out of his office and called Jack over. "Jack, I need a minute of your time before you leave."

"I'll wait in my lab," Daniel said.

"Okay, see you guys later," Jack said. He turned around and walked into his CO's office, closing the door behind him. The man's facial expression said this was serious, so he took a seat and patiently waited for him to broach the subject he wanted to discuss. When Hammond continued to rifle through his things, he figured he should get this conversation started if he wanted to get home anytime soon. "So, what's this about, Sir? Grieves, P3X-425…?"

"I had Walter dial up P3X-425 two days ago, but Doctor Langford said the environmental conditions are still too extreme to go there, unfortunately."

"So, I guess that device Grieves accused Carter of stealing really is broken or gone."

"It looks that way, Colonel. We will continue random dials to P3X-425, but I'm afraid it will be quite some time before we can safely travel there."

Frustrated, Jack ran a hand through his hair and scowled at the wall. What the hell had Grieves done on that planet? There was no way Sam would have deprived those people of their only means of protection. He knew that night in DC wasn't enough to say he knew her well, but he'd seen her record and heard stories from her dad, Catherine and Daniel about her. "There's no telling if there will be any natives left by that time."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with you. I know you wanted Grieves to face charges but there was no solid evidence, Jack."

"That bullet Carter removed from her own body wasn't proof enough?"

Hammond sighed and leaned back in his chair, hands resting on his stomach. "Jack, we've gone over this before: it was circumstantial at best and they couldn't prove it was Grieves' weapon. He could have easily claimed it must have been friendly fire from someone else on SG-7."

"The guy certainly wouldn't hesitate to throw another teammate under the bus," he groused.

"Other than putting him on stand down, there wasn't anything we could do. Pulling a whole team from the roster for months wasn't working and with Grieves stirring things up among other members of the SGC… Well, let's just say the brass felt reassigning him to Utah was the best option."

Jack made a face, although he knew Hammond's reasoning made sense. Legally, there wasn't much they could do, especially not without revealing the existence of the Stargate Program. "What the hell is in Utah, anyway?"

Hammond chuckled and shook his head at the deflection. "The reason I called you into my office is to inform you that you and Lieutenant Kershaw are being recommended for the Air Medal for heroism. For your contribution in preventing the Goa'uld attack."

Surprised, Jack waited for a beat to give the General time to continue but when nothing was forthcoming, he nodded slowly. "Okay… not what I was expecting, but okay. Cool, I suppose."

Hammond frowned, displeasure written all over his face. "Would you rather be court-martialed for ignoring direct orders, misappropriating belongings of the United States Air For-"

"A medal sounds just fine, Sir," he said, trying for a cheerful tone. "And Kershaw will be thrilled, honestly."

"Our cover story is analysis of deep space radar telemetry, in case anyone asks."

Jack wondered if anyone who knew him would actually believe that, but he decided against mentioning it. Clearly Hammond had expected some enthusiasm from him, but while saving the world sounded nice it had come at great cost to him and those he cared about. That wasn't something he could just forget, not this time. He'd been forced to make choices he hadn't been and still wasn't comfortable with for the greater good. "Yes, Sir."

"What's bothering you about this, son? You – and the Lieutenant – deserve a heck of a lot more than just an Air Medal for heroism for what you did. Hell Jack, you took three people into unknown hostile territory, saved the  _planet_  and got your people plus a new ally safely back home."

"I know, Sir. It's just…"

"Talk to me, Jack. Off the record."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, searching for the words to explain what he was feeling. Talking about his feelings wasn't something he was good at but Hammond was right. He needed to get it off his chest or lock it away tightly. Not anytime soon, anyway. If not Hammond, then who could he talk to about this? Not Daniel, that was for sure. Teal'c might not understand it or end up feeling even guiltier for his own past actions while in the service of Apophis if Jack told him about his issues.

"Out there, I have to make choices," he started, waving his hand. "Command decisions. I don't have to tell you I've done some damn distasteful things in service of my country. That has never really been a problem before I got here and had to deal with the snakeheads."

"They're pure evil."

"Yeah, but they're inside of a person. An innocent human being who can't do fuck about what is happening to them or what the snakes make them do."

Hammond nodded in understanding, "I only have to think of what happened with Charles Kawalsky."

"And then there's Skaara aboard that ship, and he's just a kid! Except it's Klorel who is in control of his body and he's using Skaara's voice, thoughts and feelings against me," Jack said, gritting his teeth at the memory. "Well, you've read my report…"

"You had to shoot him, Jack. There wasn't anything else you could have done."

"I know. But there was this moment when Skaara got control back and it was  _him_. God, I can't even describe it. Then the snake is back in control," he said, sighing.

The General leaned in, arms on the desk and looked at him intently. "You had no choice but to leave him behind on that ship. That was Klorel, not Skaara."

"But on the inside Skaara was still there," he argued.

"From what you've told me about the boy and the brief conversation you two had on the ship, I'd say he would probably be grateful for a permanent death, Jack. He can finally rest, instead of being forced to witness everything Klorel does while unable to stop him for eternity." Hammond let him process that before he spoke again, softer this time. "And I'm sure the same goes for Captain Carter. She wouldn't have wanted to be responsible for the destruction or enslavement of Earth."

Jack looked down at his hands where they lay in his lap, balled into fists. "Maybe… but I didn't even give her a fighting chance, Sir. I just left her there."

"That's not true; you had a choice to make and you chose the wellbeing of your planet over the remote possibility of her being present on that ship. That doesn't make you a bad person, Jack. And if she were here, she'd agree with me. Of that I'm sure."

He chuckled mirthlessly and shook his head. "Well, I'm glad one of us is, Sir."

Hammond watched him as he got up and didn't stop him until he reached the door. "You did what you had to do, Jack."

"I know, some damn distasteful things," he said, looking at the floor, before he glanced back at his CO. "And I'll learn to live with these, too. It'll just take some time, Sir."

* * *

 **Ȧama** **  
Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam awoke with a start, her breathing loud to her own ears in the otherwise quiet surrounding. It took her eyes a moment to adjust and even then she had to look around to remember where she was: A makeshift tree hut Bra'tac had found in a long deserted town a few klicks from the stargate on some backwater planet. Bra'tac who was nowhere to be seen, fortunately. Sam threw off her flimsy blanket and rolled onto her back, taking deep calming breaths. Her hand subconsciously rested on her bump and she smiled in relief when she felt the baby move in response to the pressure.

She lay there for a few more minutes, trying to sort her thoughts. The nightmares were happening more often lately and they left her feeling unsettled. Memories, really. Most of them anyway. Klorel's face, that smirk, his hands, the ribbon device… She shuddered and forced them to the back of her mind.

Slowly, she pushed herself up in a sitting position. With all the changes her body was undergoing, she had to be careful or she'd get dizzy when she went from a horizontal position to a vertical one. Low blood pressure. That was to be expected she supposed, but that didn't mean she liked it. Oh, how she wished she had one of those stupid pregnancy books that had always seemed to mock her singlehood when she went to her regular bookstore in DC. God, she'd kill for one of those right now. And air conditioning, oh how she would kill for some A/C.

"Well, I suppose we can fix one of the two," she muttered as she got up with some effort. Bra'tac would just have to choose a planet that wasn't so damn hot and humid next time. Of course, if he ever planned on going somewhere else. They had been on Ȧama for almost a week and a half. The longest so far and Bra'tac had shown no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Sam grabbed a piece of fruit from their collection and took a bite. The food here was delicious, she had to admit. Juicy and sweet. Back home, she'd never been much of a fruit eater. Or vegetables, for that matter. She either ate commissary food or takeout and microwave meals when she actually went home at a decent hour. These days, she ate nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. There was an abundance of them on this planet and Bra'tac insisted they went out foraging every day. He wasn't wrong; they needed enough food in case the next planet wasn't as bountiful.

The problem with that, however, was that she was anxious to go to Cimmeria. Bra'tac seemed to be in no rush to get there. Of course, he didn't have a Goa'uld in his head that could wake up any time and kill her unborn baby! She took another deep breath and made a conscious effort to calm herself down. The uncertainty regarding Herit was probably what was causing her damn nightmares cum flashbacks to happen and stressing out over it wouldn't help anyone. For all she knew, that could make it worse. There could be some kind of trigger for Herit to wake up from her deep sleep, like high stress levels, to prevent the host from dying while she hibernated. After all, the Goa'uld always seemed to just know when they were in the sarcophagus and thus had to be aware of some things…

Loud footsteps outside startled Sam and she nearly dropped the fruit she'd been eating. Her free hand moved to where she kept a  _zat'nik'tel_  – Bra'tac had given her the alien gun that could stun, kill and disintegrate – on her belt and she tiptoed to the door of the hut, on the alert. Her elevated heartrate returned to normal when she caught sight of Bra'tac coming towards her.

"You are awake," he said, instead of a greeting. Dark eyes gave her a onceover before he entered the hut and placed a bag with fruit on the floor. "Have you rested well, hm?"

She rubbed a hand over her face, wiping away some perspiration from her forehead. "Good morning to you, too. That's  _a lot_  of food."

"You need to be well fed for your child."

"I don't think I need  _that_  much."

He looked at her skeptically and grabbed an apple-like fruit, before tossing it to her. "You were with child before you were captured and claim  _Tau'ri_  gestation is no shorter than that of a Jaffa, yet I could still snap you like kindling."

Sam blinked in surprise, "Um, okay."

"You are too thin, woman."

Looking down at her slightly protruding belly, she stroked the stretched skin and disagreed. It seemed like the past couple of days she had doubled in size and even the loose shift she was wearing, wasn't all that loose anymore. Soon, she would need bigger clothes, especially if she wanted to hide her pregnancy from the outside world a little longer once they were among other people again. "I've been gaining weight recently."

"Not enough to nourish your unborn child."

"I'm doing the best I can," she said defensively.

He gestured at the bag of fruit in the corner, "We must do better."

"Is that why you've been so insistent on foraging instead of going to Cimmeria?"

"No. If we are to remain hidden from the System Lords we need supplies and I cannot guarantee there will be enough food on different planets as we travel."

Sam eyed him, wondering if that was the only reason. It seemed he was holding back. Then again, he had to be a master at that considering he'd apparently been aware of her true identity the whole time aboard Klorel's ship. But he never showed it. And he wasn't wrong about getting a supply of food. So far, they'd been relatively lucky. Of course, it was entirely possible that Bra'tac had chosen the last couple of planets they'd been on precisely because he knew about their harvesting seasons. Hell, who was she kidding? She could hardly manage to stock her fridge for a whole week back home, what made her think she had a clue about what they needed for their survival? Bra'tac was far better equipped to live off the land, so she should just listen to him. "Okay."

"Soon, you will require more food. Already you are eating less than you should, but as your child grows and we continue to travel then your body will demand more nourishment."

"Okay, yes," she sighed, "fine. We'll forage some more before we go to Cimmeria."

"No,  _I_  will forage. You will rest."

Sam shook her head and used her shift to polish the fake apple, before taking a bite. It was firm, sweet and juicy. She idly wondered if fruit on Earth had ever tasted this good or if it was simply because she was eating so little that everything tasted good. Looking back up at Bra'tac, she shrugged. "I just woke up. I can't go back to sleep."

"You do not look well rested."

The way he was looking at her, she figured that was probably his polite way of saying she looked like crap. He'd already caught her startling awake from a couple of nightmares the past couple of nights and she didn't want him to go back to thinking she was a weak human, so she decided to ignore his comment. "I'm gonna get cleaned up at the lake."

"Very well, I will accompany you."

"You don't have to. Stay here and rest or go out and forage. I don't need a babysitter."

"Last time, you nearly fell off the mountain ledge. Or do you not remember, hm?"

Sam felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the memory. "I'm pregnant," she needlessly reminded him, "and it has changed my center of gravity. You make it sound like I was already on my way to tumbling down the mountain when all I did was misstep."

"You were lucky."

"No, just off-balance and I quickly corrected!"

Bra'tac actually grinned at her and grabbed the small, primitive bag she used to carry her toiletries. Not that she had many: just some oils, powders, sodium bicarbonate, and a comb. "If we leave now, we will return before the sun is at its peak."

"Fine." She took her only other shift with her for lack of a towel and followed him out of the hut and down the tree. It would take them about half an hour to get to the lake and she'd already proven her skin's sensitivity to sunlight their first day here, so she figured the sooner they left, the better. No need to get even more sunburnt.

He didn't seem to have the same problem. Nothing appeared to bother Bra'tac. Not the terrain, the temperature, the sun, the lack of proper meals or how little sleep he got. Not bad for someone over a hundred years old. Not bad at all.

Sam walked a little behind him as they made their way to the lake. They had to cross a mountain's ledge to get there, although they could go around the mountain if they had a couple of more hours to spare. She didn't mind the mountain, except for when she nearly slipped and fell. Her burgeoning belly simply made some things, like balance, more difficult and that had been the first time she'd experienced it. Now that she was aware, she was more careful. "So…"

Bra'tac looked at her from over his shoulder, "You do not like silences."

"You don't like talking," she countered.

"Jaffa do not have meaningless conversations."

She raised her brows skeptically as she walked up to him. "Not ever?"

"No."

"Then what do you talk about?" When he simply looked back at her, she understood and rolled her eyes. That explained the silence. "Well,  _Tau'ri_  do it all the time."

"That does not surprise me," he said, deadpan. "O'Neill speaks far too much as well."

Sam was tempted to ask him about his interactions with Jack and SG-1 but she didn't want to arouse his suspicions. He had already proven to have a sharp mind and she wasn't going to take any chances. Instead, she kept walking alongside him in silence.

At some point, Bra'tac must have taken pity with her and sighed when she looked in his direction again when they were nearing the mountain. "The child, it is not Klorel's."

"Um, no," she said, surprised by the fact that he was the one to initiate conversation and that it was of a personal nature. "I already told you-"

"You have a mate on… Earth?"

He hesitated before calling her home planet by its name but she'd noticed that lately he'd started using less Jaffa dialect. She appreciated the effort – although it might not be for her benefit – but wasn't sure she liked the direction this conversation was heading towards. She rarely spoke of her personal life to coworkers, never mind her sex life, and to do so with Bra'tac was just… strange. "Well, obviously there was 'mating'," she muttered, indicating her abdomen, "but I'm not married, engaged, betrothed, mated or otherwise bonded to anyone if that's what you're asking."

"A lover then," he said, glancing at her.

"Don't tell me Jaffa don't have lovers."

Bra'tac smirked, "We do."

"Good," she said, smiling. "For a minute there, I was worried about you guys."

He seemed amused by her reply and gestured at her belly. "Is your lover aware of the child growing within you?"

She couldn't help but wonder if his question was pure curiosity or if he suspected anything. Had he been there when Klorel called her "O'Neill's woman"? The Goa'uld had done it more than once and Sam couldn't remember when and where Bra'tac had been present or absent. Deciding to play it safe, she shrugged. " _I_  didn't even know until Herit told me."

"I have never heard of a Goa'uld allowing its host to become or remain pregnant, aside from Amaunet and the  _harsesis_  she carries. What of Herit?"

"What about her? She didn't know I was pregnant when she took me as host, if that's what you're asking. By the time she realized, I was already miscarrying apparently."

"Yet she allowed your child to heal by using the sarcophagus. Why?"

Again, Sam hesitated and decided on a half-truth instead of the rather defensive reply that came to mind. "I don't know," she said calmly. "Herit was strangely insistent and had big plans for the baby, but I wasn't privy to her thoughts."

"Hm."

A silence fell and she had no desire to fill it right now. That might make him more suspicious or she'd accidentally give something away. So, she stayed quiet as well and let him lead the way as they reached the mountain. The first few meters were easy but they were followed by a steep incline and her calf muscles protested as she walked up the path. Once they reached the ledge, she shuffled up to the wall as best she could. She could've sworn it was easier last time. Either she was mistaken or her belly had grown noticeably bigger in the past couple of days.

"Do you need assistance?" About three feet ahead, Bra'tac had stopped. He was looking at her with concern on his face and already reached out towards her with the butt of his staff weapon. "Take it."

She shook her head and pushed the staff away. "I'm fine."

"You are too stubborn for your own wellbeing, woman. Take it."

Reluctantly, she grabbed hold of it with her left hand and, without looking over her shoulder, slowly shuffled towards him. Up here, a couple of meters from the ground, they were in the direct path of the sun's rays and she could feel them burn on her bare shoulders. The thought of more blisters almost overrode her sense of safety. It felt like it took her half an hour to cross the ledge and the skin of her shoulders was hot to the touch by the time she stood next to Bra'tac again. After taking a few swigs from her waterskin, she turned to him and grimaced. "You know, you can stop calling me 'woman' all the time."

"If I were to call you Captain Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force when we are among other people, we would not be able to elude the Goa'uld for long."

"Samantha is my first name," she said and, upon his raised brow, elaborated, "that's the name my parents gave me upon birth. Captain is a title and rank, like First Prime, except a lower rank and Carter is my family name. Do Jaffa have family names?"

"No. We are given but one name, as I am Master Bra'tac of Chulak."

"Oh. Well, my father's surname is Carter, which means his children get the surname Carter as well. My brother's full name is Mark Carter. Oh, and the United States is the country I'm from and the Air Force is comparable to… um, a Goa'uld's death glider army."

"Samantha is a  _Tau'ri_  name."

"Well, most of my friends call me "Sam". That's the shortened version of my name."

Bra'tac looked at her pensively, giving her another once over before he nodded to himself. Sām."

" _Sam_ ," she said, correcting his curt pronunciation of her name.

"Sām."

" _Sam_."

"Sām."

She rolled her eyes and decided to go with it. "Sure, Sām."


	3. 3

**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Bra'tac had left three days ago, leaving her with enough food until he got back. Except, Sam had been hungry and eaten most of it by day two. She'd managed to save some soup – thick and rather tasteless drab with large chunks of some kind of bitter vegetable – for breakfast earlier today but the rest was gone. Well, with the exception of two beautiful pieces of some exotic-looking fruit. Of course, when Bra'tac first introduced her to it on their previous planet, she'd had a bad reaction. It started with stomachaches, followed by cramps and heartburn. At first, she'd been afraid something was wrong with the baby but then she'd thrown up and the pain in her stomach receded. There had still been the occasional cramping and she'd suffered from diarrhea for two days, but after that everything went to normal. However, since then, she'd avoided the pretty-looking fruit.

Apparently Bra'tac had forgotten.

She turned away from the fruit before she could give in and eat it, regardless of consequences, and put on some water. The shelter they'd been living in on this planet was large and remote enough for her to make a fire. From his last trip off-world Bra'tac had brought back a pot, which reminded her of a mini caldron. It was what he'd used to make the soup. Now, she was using it for tea. There was enough water and leaves to make some of the hot liquid. Hopefully, it would still her hunger until Bra'tac returned with more food.

Ladling some of the tea in a cup, Sam idly wondered how Bra'tac had carried the pot all the way over here. Was he planning to lug it around when they moved again? Sure, it was a handy item to make food but it was heavy and they always tried to travel as light as possible.

Rolling her eyes at the image of the old Jaffa carrying the caldron on his back, she straightened up and ran a hand through greasy hair. She would have to wash it soon. It had been days already and even though she washed up regularly, the greasy hair made her feel dirty. Like she was some unwashed and unkempt creature who didn't give a damn. It would have to wait until Bra'tac had returned, though. The river where they did their washing was only a few klicks away but she didn't have the energy right now and wanted to be around when Bra'tac came back.

She chuckled softly when she felt the baby kick and placed a hand over the spot. "Guess that means you agree with me, huh kiddo?" The baby kicked again, as if confirming. Lately, the baby had grown more active and Sam loved the interaction they had at moments like these. It made her feel less alone but also gave her concrete proof of the tiny human being growing inside of her. Of course, her very round and prominent belly was hard to miss nowadays, too. Well, as long as stood up straight with the fabric of her dress stretching over her abdomen.

"Momma's gonna need new clothes soon," she said, pressing back against the baby with her hand. "Who knows, maybe Bra'tac will bring me something other than the tools I asked for. Some meat would be nice, too."

Every now and then, the Jaffa would bring back meat from his little off-world trips. He usually traded for it on a market or something, but on occasion it was from an animal he'd captured. The problem with the uninhabited planets he chose for them was that there were often few animals around. Insects and some birds, but small game was difficult to find. Sam didn't know enough about hunting or alien life on other planets to determine whether that had do to with where they chose to set up camp or if there was another reason for it. But either way, she appreciated it when he brought back meat; not just because it was filling and a nice change in diet, but she also felt stronger after eating it. The nutritional value was higher than alien fruits, veggies and nuts, it seemed. She clearly wasn't cut out for a vegetarian diet…

Taking a sip of tea, Sam decided to go for a walk to work out some of the kinks in her back. Sleeping on her side was more comfortable now that she was further along in her pregnancy but the hard ground did her body no favors. Her back often felt stiff during the day and their treks to the river usually helped, but she hadn't left the shelter in two days.

The sun was low in the sky but its rays still warmed her as she tilted her face up. Even now, weeks, hell months, after she'd escaped, she felt like she wasn't getting enough sunshine. The time spent in captivity or with Klorel wasn't something she wanted to think about, but the thought often popped into her head on unguarded moments. Back then, she barely saw any natural sunlight and it had messed with her circadian rhythm. Not that it was any better, these days, with all the planet hopping.

"One day I'll learn," Sam promised the baby, "hopefully before you arrive."

Bra'tac seemed to have some innate sense of time and regardless of the planet they were on or how many suns were present, he always seemed to be able to tell how much time had passed. She missed her watch, especially its calendar. Inability to tell time hadn't been a major problem yet, but without a way to keep track of time and dates, Sam was entirely reliant on Bra'tac and that worried her in regards to her due date. She figured she'd be able to tell when she was close from her increased size by then, but there were preparations to be made  _way_  before her due date. "I expect you to warn me ahead of time too, kiddo."

Just as the conversation was starting to feel too one-sided, Sam heard the telltale kawoosh sound – a stargate activating – and turned into its direction. The gate was a couple of klicks away and in the opposite direction of the river. The landscape near their shelter was rather barren, with a couple of trees and underbrush for camouflage. But sound carried well over the distance, especially something as loud as a kawoosh. The precise direction from which Bra'tac would come was difficult to tell, so Sam reached into the small purse attached to her belt and pulled out a lodestone.

Bra'tac had gifted her with it, after picking up an extra one on an off-world market he'd visited. Ever since, he'd been trying to teach her how to use it. It wasn't difficult, in theory. It was a brownish-black piece of mineral with a metallic luster and a black streak over it. On Earth, they called the mineral magnetite, a naturally occurring magnet that attracted iron. A suspended piece of lodestone functioned as a magnetic compass and that was how Jaffa often decided which way to go on an unfamiliar planet, according to Bra'tac.

"I prefer a regular compass to be honest," she said, smiling at the baby's kick in response to her voice. "But I suppose this will do for lack of something better. I almost got it right last time we tried. Next time it'll go even better."

She waited until the lodestone pointed in the direction of the planet's magnetic pole and adjusted her stance accordingly. From there, she had a good vantage point of the path Bra'tac would take. "You know what," she said aloud, "let's go walk towards him. He might be carrying a lot of things or be tired, or something."

With that, Sam checked her weapons – the  _zat'nik'tel_  and ribbon device were hanging from her belt – and waterskin, before taking off. The walk would do her good, even if Bra'tac wouldn't appreciate the gesture. If it were up to him, she'd be locked up in an ivory tower until delivery, but that wasn't going to happen. He knew, didn't like it but accepted that she was a "stubborn female  _Tau'ri_ ", as he liked to call her.

Her calves protested against the slight incline of the terrain but she knew that wouldn't last long. There weren't many muscle groups that didn't protest whenever she moved these days, so she gritted her teeth and ignored the strain. She kept one hand on her hip, near her weapons, and with the other she occasionally rubbed her stomach as the baby moved around. Her legs ate up the distance and soon she was surrounded by trees, providing some much needed shade. She went for a quick latrine break and, after taking a few swigs of water, continued on the path while checking her lodestone every now and then.

Bra'tac came into view shortly after she left the trees behind her. He was carrying the large bag he'd left with on his back, had his staff weapon in one hand and was holding something large over his shoulder. The skullcap he usually always wore except when bathing was nowhere to be seen. " _Chel hol,_ _Sām_."

She rolled her eyes at his pronunciation of her name and waited until he was closer to greet him. "Hi. Did you get everything?"

"Would I have returned if I had not accomplished this task, hm?" He said, not unfriendly.

"Guess not," she muttered under her breath, turning around to fall in step with him. "Can I carry that… um, thing?"

He raised a brow when she gestured at whatever it was he had on his shoulder. "No, you cannot. I may be an old warrior, but I am not weak."

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid," she huffed. Seeing his confusion, she elaborated, "Someone who, uh, is incapacitated by illness or injury."

"A cripple," he said, nodding to himself. "I will not risk the wellbeing of your unborn child because you are stubborn."

"Fine, I won't help. I was just trying to be nice and considerate. The baby is fine, he or she has been kicking and moving around all day."

Bra'tac's face lit up with a genuine smile as he cast a look at her protruding belly. "You and the child are most fortunate." He waited until they were surrounded by trees once more, ran a piece of cloth over his balding head to wipe away beads of sweat, and turned to her. "Are all  _Tau'ri_  pregnancies as resilient as yours?"

Taken aback by the question, Sam opened her mouth to reply before closing it again. She didn't really know all that much about pregnancies. The only pregnant woman she'd ever interacted with was her brother's wife, Lauren. Mark and Lauren had a two-year-old girl and a baby on the way by the time she'd left Earth. But her relationship with her brother hadn't been the best, so it wasn't as if she'd been very hands-on with her sister-in-law's pregnancies. "Um, no. I don't think so, at least. Trust me; I was more surprised than you are when Herit told me about the baby."

"You did not expect the child within to survive after the treatment you received in captivity?"

"Well, I didn't know I was pregnant to begin with, so…" She shrugged and started walking with him again. "I know statistically many women miscarry before they even know they're pregnant but that's usually only in the first six or eight weeks, I believe. From then on, most women will take a pregnancy test and thus know whether they're pregnant or not."

"A pregnancy test?"

"It's a, um, device that can measure the amount of a certain hormone that's elevated in a woman's body during pregnancy – when they're with child," Sam explained, trying to simplify it as much as possible. "Uh, a hormone is a small compound in a person's blood. You can't see it with the naked eye, but there are devices and technologies to make them visible."

"Magic."

The way he said it, with his serious expression and self-assured nod, almost made her laugh, but she managed to keep it in. "I suppose what we call technology could be seen as magic to those unfamiliar with the concept and theory behind it…" Tomayto, tomahto, she thought.

"This device," Bra'tac said tentatively, "it is similar to the  _seneb'kesh_?"

Sam looked down to where he pointed at the Goa'uld healing device attached to her belt, on the opposite hip of her weapons. "The healing device? I don't know. I thought it could only be used for, uh, healing."

"A Goa'uld can use it to detect illness or other ailments in another person as well."

"Oh. I had no idea."

"I have witnessed Apophis and his underlords use it on many lo'taurs or Jaffa to determine whether they are with child."

She supposed that made her the lucky one who hadn't been scanned with the healing device prior to being implanted with Herit. Shaking off that thought, Sam touched the healing device. It didn't look like something that could save lives or heal broken bones. If she hadn't read about the former host Kendra on Cimmeria in SG-1's mission reports, she never would have recognized the reddish crystal with its golden handle as a healing device. It looked more like an innocent paperweight. "I guess there are a lot of things I still need to learn. Back on the ship, I only practiced with the hand device because of its defensive and offensive powers."

"There will be time later," Bra'tac said. "Once a female  _Tau'ri_ has performed this test, her gestation results in a healthy child?"

"Uh, no. Pregnancy can be a very delicate thing sometimes. Some women miscarry easily, whereas others are more resilient. It also depends on how far along a woman is. Miscarriages tend to happen more frequently in the first trimester – the first three months of nine in total," she explained, wondering if Jaffa even used months to denote the passing of time. "The current theory is that miscarriages occur to weed out anomalies, often with a genetic cause. But that's not always the case. There can be environmental or nutritional causes too. And sometimes, it seems to happen for no good reason at all."

"Defective children, hm?" He nodded, staring ahead pensively. "Jaffa and sometimes humans will produce these on occasion. They are killed by the Goa'uld or their priest."

Shocked, Sam stopped walking and stared at him. "The children?" How could he condone such a practice? It was barbaric!

"Hm? Yes, them too."

"You mean they kill the parents and the children?!"

Bra'tac appeared intrigued by her outrage and cocked an eyebrow. "Only the women and the children. The fathers are often Jaffa warriors or human farmers who are required to grow food for the Goa'uld's army."

"That's despicable."

"Is it not so among the  _Tau'ri_?"

She shook her head, her stomach still churning over the information he'd just provided. "No. Some children will be born with a defect, but in the developed countries we have good healthcare and pregnant women are monitored carefully. Some defects can't be prevented and aren't discovered until the child is born but even then they nor their mothers are killed over it!"

"Admirable, yet foolish. Do these children not require more care and assistance?"

"Sure, in a lot of cases that's true. But their parents love them regardless. They don't make a distinction between them and healthy children, because they don't see them as commodities or possessions."

"The  _Tau'ri's_  ways are strange to me,  _Sām_."

She looked at him with a small smile and sighed, "Oh, the same goes for me when it comes to Jaffa culture."

"Your unborn child is no longer at risk for defects in your current moment of gestation?"

"I hope not," she said, her hand protectively on her bump. "If Herit was right, then the sarcophagus should have healed any injuries or defects the baby may have gotten from the way I was treated early on in the pregnancy."

"Then you will both be well."

"Well, considering everything that can go wrong during a pregnancy, it's almost a miracle the human race hasn't died out yet. It's really impossible to predict. I don't know enough about it to say anything with certainty, but I am hopeful the baby is healthy."

"As am I."

* * *

**O'Neill Residence**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**January 5, 1998**

Jack took another swig of beer, gaze glued to the television screen. The colors flickered across his face but the images didn't really register with him. He narrowed his eyes when a laugh sounded loudly from the TV, grating on his nerves. He huffed and brought the bottle of beer back to his lips, only to realize it was empty already.

"Oh, for crying out loud," he muttered, his voice hoarse from disuse. He dropped the empty bottle next to his chair, to join its three cousins. Licking his lips, he glanced at the collected bottles and wondered if he should get another.

"Ah, hell."

Grunting, he got up with some effort, ignoring the creaking of his knees, and moved to the liquor cabinet. The beer wasn't cutting it; he needed something stronger tonight. Jack poured himself some whiskey, swirled it around in the glass and downed it in one go.

He closed his eyes and welcomed the slow burn in his throat. When he opened his eyes again, he realized it was dark outside. Night had fallen and he hadn't even noticed. The TV was the only illumination in the living room but he couldn't bring himself to turn on some lights, so he poured himself another glass and went back to his chair.

The yellow figures on the screen couldn't lift his dark mood and he fumbled with the remote to change the channel. He sucked in a breath when he came across a news story about a massacre in Algeria the day before; over a hundred seventy people had been killed in what was being called the Wilaya of Relizane massacres **.**

He quickly turned off the TV after the footage shown reminded him of the mission he'd returned from only hours ago. SG-1 and SG-2 had gone to P3X-382 for a recon, only to find a site destroyed by Goa'uld weaponry. The city nearest the stargate had been destroyed and bodies were strewn everywhere. Most were still warm and some burnt or charred beyond recognition from staff weapons or death gliders. Ferretti's team and his own had searched the site but there were no survivors. No Jaffa or Goa'uld either. It seemed like such a random attack on what had once been a peaceful forested world of simple villages with Nordic roots, according to Daniel.

Teal'c had suggested the Goa'uld in charge of the attack might have been looking for something after Daniel's research implied the Goa'uld had not interfered on the planet – Nasya – for over three hundred years. That had given Daniel hope, speculating Sha're could have been there since Moac told them Apophis had hid her somewhere prior to attacking Earth.

All it gave Jack was a bad taste in his mouth and some more images of slaughtered innocents. There had to have been over a thousand bodies; he lost count over halfway through while checking for signs of life. Hammond had put SG-2 and the three new teams in charge of recovery, though.

Jesus, he could still smell the scent of burnt flesh and see the terrified looks on the victims' faces whenever he closed his eyes. It was like Hanka all over again, except there had been far more damage and evidence of a Goa'uld attack this time around – and there was no surviving alien girl who'd captured all of their hearts.

"All so fucking useless," Jack said, gritting his teeth. So, hurrah they'd blown up two ships attacking Earth, possibly sacrificing the lives of Skaara and Sam in the process, and a few weeks later the Goa'uld destroy a whole planet without breaking so much as a sweat. What was the damn point?! For all he knew, there were a dozen more planets in the galaxy with the same fate. Hell, Earth could have been one of them. That was still a possibility…

He was getting so tired of all the death and destruction. What good did it do to go out there, risking their lives, when the Goa'uld destroyed whole civilizations after they turned their backs? They killed one Goa'uld and his offspring, but according to Teal'c another would soon claim Apophis' domain and they'd be right back where they started. Hell, they didn't even know for sure if Apophis – and Skaara and Sam – was dead to begin with.

Taking another swig of whiskey, he thought back over the past year. They'd already lost too many people and the end was nowhere in sight. What had they accomplished with their actions, really? Yeah, so, they'd saved Earth. Well, if they'd never gone after Apophis in the first place that might not have been necessary. And fuck, but was he suddenly agreeing with Samuels and that asshole Kinsey? He tightened the grip on his glass, trying to push the anger back into a corner of his mind, before it overwhelmed him.

The memory of Skaara's face, broken and terrified of the snake inside of him, surfaced and Jack's hands shook as he recalled shooting the Abydonian boy. He'd killed him. It didn't matter that the sarcophagus had revived him; he'd been capable of killing someone he cared about. Skaara had been innocent in all this and may never have been taken if they hadn't gone to Abydos. And instead of saving him, Jack had left him in a room with Apophis and fled the ship in a death glider. A sarcophagus wouldn't do Skaara any good if he'd been blown up with the ship.

"God damn it!"

He threw his glass away in the dark, feeling a small sense of satisfaction when he heard it break and imagined the mess it made. But it wasn't enough to keep the memories and guilt of the past few weeks at bay. He'd abandoned Skaara, after promising Daniel and Kasuf that he'd find him and bring him back to Abydos. He failed them.

Hell, he'd failed everyone; Daniel, Kasuf, Skaara, Sha're… Sam. It didn't matter what Hammond said or how he tried to convince himself that Sam, like Skaara, would be better off dead than alive with a snake controlling her. She was an officer in the Air Force just like he was and he knew she would understand his actions if she was as good as her file claimed, but strangely that didn't make him feel any better. After Iraq, he'd sworn never to leave anyone behind. Within reason. But he hadn't even given her a fighting chance.

Deep down, Jack knew that it wouldn't have mattered if he'd gone after her. If the ships had destroyed Earth then it would have all been for naught. And he had no idea where to start looking for her, although Bra'tac might have been able to send him in the right direction. Still, they probably both would have died in the explosion if he'd gone looking. Hell, his whole team might have died.

But Sam deserved better from him. Not just as a fellow officer; he'd felt a connection with her that night in DC and if they'd met back at the SGC the next day, he would have wanted to explore it. Hell, didn't Daniel's trip to the alternate reality prove that there could be something special between them? She was the kind of woman he could fall hard for and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to find her and see if it was true.

Even if she wasn't interested in more from him, he still should have gone looking for her on that ship. The moment Teal'c told them the Goa'uld had specific knowledge of Earth he'd known it was her, that Apophis had made her a host. That had to be terrifying for her. And what had he done? Turned his back on her and fled the ship, without another thought.

Christ, he hated himself for leaving her there.

* * *

**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam looked down at the roll of fabric Bra'tac had given her once they'd finished their meal. "What's this for?"

"New clothing."

"It's a piece of cloth."

Bra'tac smirked, seemingly pleased. "To make clothing."

"Right." Sam bit her lip, trying to come up with a way to explain to him why that wasn't a good idea. If all she'd needed was some fabric, then she could have used her cloak or one of the other shifts she'd taken from Herit's closet. Hell, she could have made herself a nice, comfortable bra for her swollen and sore breasts. They'd always been a tad too full for her to go braless, both for support and being in the military, but now that she was pregnant it was really uncomfortable to walk around without proper support. "You do realize I can't do anything with this, right?"

"Why not, hm?"

"Well, for one I don't have the proper tools," she said, exasperation coloring her tone, "but also, I'm not a tailor."

He looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "Then how do you obtain your clothing?"

"How do you?" She asked, raising a brow. It hadn't escaped her attention that he was expecting her, the woman, to make them new clothes instead of doing it himself.

"It is the prerogative of a Jaffa of my rank to receive clothing tailored by a Goa'uld's slaves."

"I buy them. You know, with currency I earn from doing my job."

"You cannot make them yourself?"

Sam sighed, before casting another look at the fabric and shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe if I have the proper tools I could make  _something_. I don't know if it could pass for appropriate clothing, though. I don't suppose you could try your hand at it?"

"I cannot perform a woman's task," he said, matter of fact.

"You do realize we'll both have to do things we're not used to, right? This is not my ideal lifestyle either, in case you've forgotten."

He frowned and took a swig of water. "I am aware,  _Sām_. Since obtaining the rank of First Prime I have not been relegated to foraging or hunting, yet I obtain the sustenance we require to survive."

"I know and I'm grateful," she hastened to add. If it hadn't been for him, she probably would have starved already. "And I can help-"

"You do not know poison from tea! I am surprised you survived into adulthood," he said, chuckling.

Sam narrowed her eyes at him, not amused. "Again, I  _buy_  the food I need. We have supermarkets and grocery stores… they're like the markets you travel to, except they sell all kinds of food. Sometimes even whole meals that you only need to reheat at home."

Bra'tac shook his head as he stood up, stretching his legs and muttering. "The  _Tau'ri_  sound incompetent and lazy. It is a wonder your population grew to the size it is today."

"Then teach me," she said. "Teach me what is edible and what is poison, for humans and Jaffa. Teach me to hunt and prepare meat."

"Your kind knows nothing and is too scared to risk their lives for their livelihood. Do you think you can forage and hunt, even while with child?"

She nodded and rose to her feet. "Wouldn't it be better to teach me now before the baby is born? I can help stock the food we need before we leave for Cimmeria."

"You may risk your life and that of your child, though."

"Don't we do that every day, anyway?"

"Very well," Bra'tac said, inclining his head.


	4. 4

**Alpha Site | P3X-984**  
**Milky Way Galaxy**  
 **February 10, 1998**

The wind picked up as they made their way to the gate and Jack was glad he'd thought to put on his sunglasses as Makepeace cursed when sand got in his eyes. He couldn't wait until they'd finished building the base and the 'gate could be housed indoors, instead of outdoors with sand all around them. He had an intense dislike for sand, especially when it ended up in his clothes.

"You think this is the last load, O'Neill?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Makepeace and shrugged. "Depends on how much they got onto that FRED. I'll tell you one thing, Ferretti better get his ass out here soon because I'm not gonna make this trip again."

"I hear ya," Makepeace muttered. "This is grunt work. Why are  _we_  the ones doing it again?"

Jack raised his hands in a silent challenge. "You'd rather be back there, working your ass off for 'fun'?"

"Good point."

"Besides, I don't want Hammond on my ass if one of those green boys or girls breaks some super expensive and sensitive equipment."

"Yeah, yeah, point taken," he grunted, heading towards the DHD.

Jack moved over to the MALP standing nearby and checked his watch. The SGC would dial in soon and hopefully that would be the last shipment for now. He rolled his eyes when he saw Makepeace resting against the DHD and brushed some of the sand off his MP5 as they waited for the call.

It didn't take long for the gate to activate and both of them had their weapons at the ready, just in case. But then the radio crackled and Walter's face appeared on the MALP's monitor, reporting the arrival of two FREDS, three members of SG-3 and one Doctor Catherine Langford. The event horizon rippled before the first transport vehicle came through.

Casey followed right after, controlling the FRED remotely. "Sirs."

"Casey," Jack said, nodding and stepping aside to let the FRED pass by him.

"That CO of yours coming too?"

"Sure is, Colonel Makepeace. He's right behind Warren."

They waited until Warren with his FRED had arrived and Ferretti was supporting Catherine down the steps of the gate.

Jack smiled for the first time in days as he saw the joy on the woman's face. "Good to see you've made it, Catherine."

"Oh, you didn't think I would pass up the chance to travel through the stargate again, did you, Jack?"

"Ma'am," Makepeace greeted. "Is this the last of the equipment?"

Catherine nodded and grabbed onto Jack's arm, letting the other military men lead the way with the two FREDs upfront. "I'm afraid I'm not as fast as I once was."

Jack shrugged and patted her arm. "That's okay. We'll just let the kids go first. It's not that far to the science department, anyway."

He didn't mind walking a bit behind the group and keeping Catherine company. He'd spent far too much time with the Marines already and he knew Catherine was more at ease with him than the other teams. They made their way over to the temporary base that housed the science department and along the way, he handed her his cap to shield her face from the sand as best as possible.

Catherine was slightly out of breath by the time they reached the base and gratefully sat down on one of the crates stored outside. SG-2 had already started unloading the FREDs and were carrying equipment inside. "Isn't it amazing to see? I mean, it looks just like Earth!"

"Yeah, that seems to always be the case," Jack said, chuckling. "I would have thought you'd be all over the pictures Daniel and the other teams make while off-world, Catherine."

"Oh, I am. Trust me. But it's different to actually  _be_  here."

He supposed that was true. Somewhere along the way it had become routine for him to travel to other planets and he'd gotten so used to alien worlds not looking, well, alien, that he'd almost forgotten the sense of wonder those new to gate travel experienced. Lately, he'd been too busy dwelling on the bad stuff to really notice anything positive, he thought.

"Doctor Langford?" Lou Ferretti came over, carrying a canteen and a wrapped sandwich. "I got you something to eat, Ma'am."

"Oh, how kind of you, Major."

Jack smirked when Lou actually blushed as he handed over the lunch. "Nothing for me, Ferretti? Aw, I'm hurt."

Ferretti glared at him. "Sorry, Colonel. Too busy unpacking boxes for the science department. You're welcome to help, of course. We could get lunch after."

"Nice try."

"I'll just get back to work, if you don't mind."

Jack stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, Lou? Did you guys hear anything about Skaara or Carter on your mission to P2A-509?"

"No," Ferretti said, shaking his head. "We didn't manage to track down Moac either. Mission was a bust, Colonel."

"Damn."

Catherine waited until Lou had left before she spoke. "Samantha is strong, Jack. If anyone can survive becoming a host, it's her. She's just too damn stubborn to give in. And if Skaara is anything like you and Daniel have told me, I'm sure he's still fighting Klorel too."

"Unless they're dead," he huffed.

"I prefer to think Sam is still out there and will find a way to return to us."

He ran a hand through sandy hair and kicked at the ground, wondering if that was possible. If Catherine was right, then there was still a chance for Sam. Until he heard otherwise, he was going to assume Apophis and Klorel – and Herit, too – had escaped the exploding motherships. Maybe if Daniel hadn't found his way back home he would have felt differently, but if the Space Monkey could do it while injured and in unfamiliar circumstances, he found it hard to believe the Goa'uld didn't have an escape plan. But what if Sam, in some miraculous way, did come back as herself? Assuming she remembered him, what would she think of him abandoning her on that ship without a second thought?

"Hey Jack," Makepeace shouted from a few meters away, interrupting his thoughts, "you gonna join us?"

"What is going on over there?" Catherine turned around to look at where the Marine was standing next to the SGC's CMO, Doctor Janet Fraiser.

Jack plastered a smile on his face and gently reached for Catherine's elbow to guide her over there. A few minutes later they joined Makepeace, Fraiser and Teal'c. "Oh, just a little friendly competition."

"Friendly," Makepeace snorted. "My guys are kicking the new teams' asses."

"Teal'c and Janet decided it was time for the ultimate test," Jack explained to Catherine, gesturing at where a couple of the newest SG team members were competing on a makeshift obstacle course.

"I believe it was you and Colonel Makepeace who suggested it, O'Neill."

Jack glared at Teal'c, before turning back to Catherine. "SGs-10, -11 and -12 have been accompanying our teams the past couple of weeks and soon they'll have to go out on their own. This way, we can see if they have what it takes."

"They're competing against my guys," Makepeace cut in, gesturing to where two of his team were in the lead.

"And Lieutenants Kershaw and Coburn," Teal'c said.

Makepeace shrugged, grinning. "Ah, they don't stand a chance against my guys, so they don't really count."

Jack felt his hackles rise against the Marine's comment and beckoned Lou over. "Hey Ferretti! Makepeace here thinks his team is better than ours."

"I respectfully disagree, Colonel," Ferretti said after jogging over. "Coburn is the best 2IC out there."

"After Kershaw," Jack corrected with a smirk.

Teal'c moved to stand in front of them, a silent challenge in his eyes. "I believe a wager is in order to defend the honor of your Lieutenants."

"Oh, I'm in," Makepeace said, fumbling in his pockets. "Shit. Um, I'm betting twenty bucks on Johnson. Losers pay the winner when we get back to the SGC."

"You sure you want to bet against Kershaw?"

Lou chuckled and exchanged glances with Jack, before turning back to the Marine. "Yeah, we heard you two are seeing each other. I don't think she'd appreciate you betting against her. Sir."

Makepeace looked away and cleared his throat. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ferretti. Now, are you in or don't you think Coburn can win from my guy?"

"Oh, I'm in. Fifty bucks says Coburn is gonna kick everyone's ass."

Janet leaned in to Catherine, rolling her eyes. "Next thing you know, they'll be whipping 'em out to see who's got the biggest-"

"Fraiser!"

She simply grinned smugly at Jack and shrugged. "What? It's not like I haven't seen it all already, Sirs."

Catherine chuckled and sent them an admonishing look. "And what's your stake in this, Doctor Fraiser?"

"Oh, see those poor airmen lying over there? They're the unfortunate victims of a Goa'uld attack and the teams have to save them to pass their medical field training."

"It seems a bit unfair to have three whole teams competing against three solitary members of different teams."

"Nah," Jack said, "Kershaw, Coburn and Johnson are far more experienced. They're also more likely to end up split up from their teammates if we go on recon missions, since SGs -10, -11 and -12 are backup teams."

"Johnson's the best."

Jack rolled his eyes at Makepeace. "Kershaw is gaining on him and unlike your guy, she's not arrogant but eager to prove herself. She'll easily beat them. Besides, she did help save the world a couple of weeks ago."

Ferretti got comfortable on a fallen tree trunk and smiled up at them. "I don't suppose anyone smuggled some beer off-world?"

* * *

 **Kresh'taa Camp**  
**Apophis' domain**  
 **Milky Way Galaxy**

The camp looked primitive and the people – Jaffa – living there suspicious, dirty and unhealthy. Bra'tac had warned Sam of the living conditions but it wasn't like they had a choice. Their own temporary camps weren't much better, but at least there weren't any prying eyes and she knew she could trust Bra'tac implicitly. Looking down, she righted her cloak over her robe and hoped it would hide her pregnant belly well enough.

Bra'tac was leading the way and the Jaffa easily stepped aside for him, probably recognizing his importance from his golden tattoo. So far, no one had given any indication that they knew the First Prime had defected, but they were both on their guards. She kept her gaze low and her blonde hair was enshrouded by the cloth Bra'tac had given her weeks ago. A temporary tattoo had been painted on her forehead. One wrong move and she would draw all kinds of attention with her unusual hair, eye and skin color, according to Bra'tac. Considering how fascinated Klorel and apparently his host had been with her appearance, she didn't doubt it.

They had to come here, though. Bra'tac hadn't been able to get all the appropriate tools she might need on Cimmeria and if she recalled it correctly, SG-1 had closed off the cave so they couldn't leave to get extra tools once they had arrived. A lack of currency made obtaining them even more difficult and Bra'tac had been forced to get something inferior. Sam had gladly handed the merchant one of Herit's golden bracelets in return for better equipment and Bra'tac had even gotten some extra things for them.

Bra'tac moved to the outer edge of the camp of outcasts and waited for her to catch up. It was almost as if he was lurking about and she raised her brows in silent question.

"Not now, woman," he said, waving her off.

Sam narrowed her eyes at him but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; that seemed the way the men here spoke to or about the women. "We have everything we need," she whispered. All the Jaffa watching them – even if there weren't many eyes in this corner – unnerved her and she wanted to leave, get to the safety of their own camp.

"Not yet."

She followed him when he pushed some branches away and revealed a hidden path that led to a sturdier-looking hut. "Have you been here before?"

"Indeed."

When she wanted to ask more, he hushed her and cautiously made his way over to the hut. He had his weapon at the ready but gestured for her to stay in place before he ducked inside. She didn't have to wait long until he came back out with another woman. She was dark skinned, had long black hair and a serpent tattoo on her forehead – and from the strange tingly feeling Sam sensed as she got closer, she was Jaffa.

Bra'tac and the woman spoke in hushed tones, in the Jaffa dialect, with both of them shooting glances at Sam on occasion. She had no idea what he was telling her, but it was pissing her off. "Bra'tac…"

" _Sām_  this is Drey'auc. She will help you."

Sam automatically took a step back when they came closer and she had to resist the urge to place a hand on her abdomen, for fear of revealing her pregnancy to the female Jaffa. "Help me… with what?"

Bra'tac narrowed his eyes and gestured at her head, as if it was obvious. "Your hair."

"What about my hair?" She asked, confused. "I thought you said I couldn't cut it." They'd actually argued about that a few weeks ago, because her hair was driving her nuts. It reached well below her shoulders now and it hadn't been that length in well over a decade. The comb she had wasn't perfect and she often had knots and tangles in her greasy locks.

"You cannot."

Apparently short hair was unheard of on women, unless they were  _kresh'taa_ or otherwise shamed. Cutting her hair, even to just below her ears would attract the wrong kind of attention as women traditionally had long hair.

"Then…?"

The woman smiled gently and took a small step forward. She seemed friendly enough. "Master Bra'tac has asked me to tint your hair."

Sam's hand immediately went up to her hair, but encountered cloth. "Tint, as in dye? I don't know…"

They had discussed this as well. She had told Bra'tac she didn't want to risk her baby's health by dying her hair with some unknown dye. Back when her sister-in-law had been pregnant the first time, her OBGYN had told her she couldn't dye her hair because the chemicals could be absorbed into her skin and reach the baby via the bloodstream. Sam personally thought that was a bit farfetched at the time but now that she was actually pregnant, she found she didn't want to take any more risk than she had to.

"It is easier than hiding it," Bra'tac reminded her.

"I have a natural extract," Drey'auc said, opening a small pouch and letting some greenish brown powder fall into the palm of her hand. "It will not harm you."

Against her better judgment, Sam found herself agreeing. She followed Drey'auc's instructions and sat down on a tree trunk, while the Jaffa put a kettle of water over the fire to mix the powder.

"I will return shortly," Bra'tac said.

"Wait!"

"Do not worry,  _Sām_. Drey'auc can be trusted and will not harm you," he said, pointedly looking at her left wrist.

The hand device was hidden under her robes. Sam hadn't slipped the finger guards on but instead had tied the part that covered her palm to her wrist, to hide the fact she was wearing it. The personal force field would still work that way, even if the offensive powers wouldn't. "When will you be back?"

"I will hunt for our evening meal and return before sundown."

"It is not necessary, Master Bra'tac," Drey'auc said, looking down.

He raised a brow and 'hm'ed'. "You both require a proper meal."

With that, he turned on his heel and left. Leaving Sam with Drey'auc, a stranger she had only met five minutes ago. Had Bra'tac told her about the baby?

"Tinting your hair will not take long," Drey'auc said with a sweet smile. "We can make  _pes_  before he returns. It goes well with the  _pefs't_."

Sam muttered something noncommittally and waited until the woman returned with the hair dye. On one hand, she wasn't in the mood to sit still for a long time while someone else was futzing with her hair but on the other hand, she hoped it would take long enough so there wouldn't be any time to make  _pes_. Whatever that was. She was a terrible cook. Then again, Bra'tac was aware of her lousy cooking skills – and had bemoaned them since teaching her to forage and hunt – so perhaps his offer to hunt was to repay Drey'auc for her help.

Drey'auc gasped when she removed the cloth and carefully reached out to touch the long blonde locks that fell down her shoulders. She stepped in front of Sam and tilted her chin up with her finger, as if appraising her. "Your name was chosen well,  _Sām_. I understand now why Master Bra'tac brought you here."

"That makes one of us," she muttered under her breath stepped aside to Drey'auc reach for the dye.

Sam sat patiently as Drey'auc went about dyeing her hair, even though she was bored out of her mind. Making conversation wasn't an option, because the Jaffa woman had already asked a couple of too personal questions and Sam had shot her down. She was getting hungry and with the baby moving around more, the pressure on her bladder increased.

"How much longer?"

"It will be finished when I am done," Drey'auc replied unhelpfully. "Are you not comfortable?"

She explained that she needed a latrine break and was grateful when she simply pointed her in the right direction. By the time Sam returned, she noticed the sun was low in the sky. It was almost evening, no wonder she was hungry.

"Please sit,  _Sām_."

She estimated it took another half hour and two dozen pulled out hairs until Drey'auc was finally done. The dye pricked her eyes when she rinsed her hair but it was a minor and temporary discomfort. Drey'auc used a cloth to remove any dark stains on her skin, before using Sam's comb to untangle her now brown locks.

Drey'auch returned the comb to her with one last look, "This is an exquisite comb."

"Bra'tac got it for me," Sam lied, wondering if that was the right thing to say when the woman's eyebrows rose up in surprise. She had never paid the comb much attention, especially not after deducing it was most likely part of a small rodent's carcass, but it was Herit's, so perhaps the thing was valuable. Maybe she could trade it for a cheaper comb once she'd run out of jewelry to trade…

"Master Bra'tac cares for you a great deal."

"Um, sure," she said hesitantly, "I guess."

"I have not seen him this protective of someone since my husband."

For some reason, Sam had trouble picturing Bra'tac as a protector but she had to admit he had done – and risked – a lot for her. Hell, he'd renounced his gods. Not necessarily for her, but it was her defeat of Herit that made him decide the time was right. "He seems to care a lot about you, too."

Drey'auc smiled sadly, shaking her head. "He sees it as his duty to protect me and my son now that my husband is gone."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's got to be tough being on your own with a child, in these living conditions."

"It is not easy. My son struggles with the way we live now that his father is gone. He received his  _prim'ta_  not too long ago and living among the  _kresh'taa_  takes its toll. His father was supposed to teach him how to live in symbiosis with his  _prim'ta_  and now his health suffers. My son is once more asleep in our hut."

Sam had barely finished her sentence before realizing the same applied to her. Once her child was born, she would be in a similar situation as Drey'auc. But she still had a home to go to… once she figured out how to get in touch with the SGC and convince them she was not a traitor nor a Goa'uld.

No small task, but Sam had always been ambitious.

Drey'auc taught her how to make  _pes_ , which was some sort of bread. Or maybe cake. Sam wasn't sure but it was edible and not too difficult to make. Her fingers were cramping from all the kneading, though. Drey'auc had let her do the majority of it, claiming it would be easier for Sam with her long fingers.

By the time the  _pes_  was finished and Sam was nibbling on a piece, Bra'tac returned with something that might have been a hare's cousin before he got to it. Drey'auc made quick work of the meat and soon they were all eating roast with  _pes_  and drinking herbal tea.

"We must leave," Bra'tac said all of a sudden. "The cover of darkness will make it easier to travel undetected."

"Very well. Be safe," Drey'auc said, leaning up to hug the old Jaffa.

Sam waited until they'd said their goodbyes. "Um, thanks for the food and the, uh, hair."

"The tinting shall remain for one lunar cycle or longer."

"I will keep that in mind," she said.

"Take good care of Rya'c, hm," Bra'tac said. "He needs more food to remain strong. I will arrange for someone to help you, but it will take time."

Drey'auc smiled and hugged him again. "We will wait. Be careful. You too,  _Sām_."

They said their goodbyes before Bra'tac took point and took a different route to the stargate. It was dark and in times like these, Sam wished she still had her flashlight. That would have made traveling so much easier. Of course, she longed for many things, like going back in time and never letting Grieves betray her. That bastard.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that it barely registered with her when Bra'tac urged her into the wormhole. Traveling by stargate had long ago lost its novelty and sometimes, she couldn't even remember actually going through the gate or what the last planet they'd been on was. It was confusing and tiring.

She recognized the planet they'd just traveled too, though. The one where they'd left their things in their makeshift camp. The planet itself wasn't abandoned although, according to Bra'tac, the continent on which the stargate was housed was. There was some small game he'd been teaching her to catch and prepare, as well as some fruit trees. Not a lot of shelter, though, she recalled as it started to rain. Annoyed, she wiped away the rivulets of water streaming down her face and was startled to see her fingers come back dark brown.

"Uh, Bra'tac? Please tell me this brown goo isn't coming from my hair."

His lips twitched when he looked at her, before he schooled his features and reached out a hand to touch her hair. "It appears the rain is washing the tinting from your hair."

"You've got to be kidding me," she said though gritted teeth. "I had to sit for half a day to get it done!"

"Perhaps if we move quickly we can avoid the rain removing all traces of it."

Sam wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that any better, but she did want to get out of the rain. The dye was dripping down her face and it pricked her eyes. Squinting, she rubbed some of it out of her eye as she followed Bra'tac. But she'd forgotten about the small stream they had to cross to get to their camp and slipped on a slippery stone.

"Argh!"

" _Sām_!" Bra'tac grabbed her by the arm before she landed in the water and hauled her up in his arms. It was an awkward embrace due to her belly but he managed to hold her anyway. "Are you injured?"

She grimaced as she moved her foot. "I think I twisted my ankle."

"Can you walk?"

"I'll try," she said, letting him support her as they crossed over the stream. "Ow. It hurts."

Bra'tac looked at her skeptically. "You withstood more torture under the hands of the Goa'uld than I thought possible, yet you cry over a misstep?"

Sam glared at him and tried to put her weight on her injured foot. "You try walking on a twisted ankle while this pregnant!"

"Perhaps you can use the healing device on your foot for practice so that we may return to our camp before sunrise."

"Uh, I suppose I could try," she said slowly. The Goa'uld device was hanging on her belt as usual, but she was strangely reluctant to try. What if it didn't work? Could she make the injury worse if she didn't know what she was doing? "I have no idea how to use it, though."

"You have never attempted it?"

"No. I wasn't even sure what it was capable of until you told me. I don't think Herit knows how to use it either. I mean, she's young and I'm her first host."

"Ah, but she has the knowledge of those who came before her. Apophis and the Queen mother who birthed her will have passed on their knowledge and that of those who came before them. She knows. But perhaps it is best not to search her mind, as it might alert her from her deep sleep."

Sam's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't thought of that! The longer she was away from the ship, the more she feared Herit would wake up and retaliate, but maybe the increased awareness of her – and the nightmares that had become more frequent as of late – were a sign that Herit would indeed wake up soon. She bit her lip and took another step with her injured ankle. "We better get moving then. The sooner we're ready, the sooner we can go to Cimmeria."


	5. 5

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**March 15, 1998**

It was almost unnaturally quiet in the room, the only sound a soft beeping from the heart monitor attached to Daniel. Normally, Jack would have found the silence uncomfortable, but for once he was grateful for it. It meant Daniel was fast asleep and not in any pain.

Hammond had grounded SG-1, pending their physicals. Their time on P3R-636 had done none of them any good, although Daniel would probably deny that if asked right now. But that crazy King Pyrus and his daughter Shyla had thrown them into the planet's mine to recover naquadah. Well, all of them except Daniel. The Princess had a crush on Daniel and she'd seduced him into using the sarcophagus. Close to a dozen times in total. Meanwile, Teal'c, Kershaw and Jack himself worked their asses off in those mines. They'd nearly died of exhaustion and starvation before they got out. Teal'c was recovering well, but he himself and Kershaw had sustained some damage to their weak knees. Nothing they couldn't overcome with some PT, though.

Jack sighed and looked at Daniel's face. The repeated use of the sarcophagus had done this to him, according to Fraiser. His eyesight had been restored, which meant no more glasses. But according to the CMO that was most likely temporary. The other effects from the sarcophagus were far worse; Daniel had lost weight, his face was ashen, body chemistry out of whack and his body was jonesing for another session.

Only an hour ago, Daniel had pointed a gun at him. God, it was hard to believe only a few times in the sarcophagus would turn someone as kindhearted as Daniel into a cold, mean bastard. Fortunately, Daniel had still been in there somewhere and broke down when Jack confronted him. He'd fallen into his arms, crying, and the gun fell to the floor.

Jack didn't know how long they'd been in that storage closet, him holding onto his friend while he sobbed and shook. At some point, Doc Fraiser had appeared at his side and administered a sedative to Daniel. The orderlies had carried him back to his room and strapped him to the bed.

Just thinking of that deranged look in Daniel's eyes, like a junkie looking for a fix made him shudder. He'd been there, years ago. After Iraq. Christ, he'd been a mess back then when they finally rescued him. Bruised, battered, beaten, tortured, starved… addicted to heroin. Going home had barely registered with him and seeing Sara again, well, it hadn't quite been the homecoming either of them had imagined.

Sara had feared for his life while he was gone, but there had been no joyous reunion at the hospital. She'd been distant, reluctant to bridge the physical distance between them in his room. Scared. And he knew she had every reason to be afraid, because he was broken and messed up. A shadow of the man she knew. An addict going through withdrawal and that made him dangerous and unpredictable. Going cold turkey wasn't an option and the methadone he'd been prescribed wasn't a miracle drug – overcoming his addiction was a long process. Sara walked around on eggshells around him, fearful to set him off and never leaving him alone with Charlie. She recoiled from his touch as if he disgusted her or, worse, would hurt her.

As messed up as he was, that only infuriated him even more and he'd had violent outbursts - he didn't hurt her, ever. But sometimes, he wanted to. That frightened  _him._ When she tried to be there for him he felt like she was suffocating him and if Sara retreated further, it set him off again. She couldn't win and neither could he. Together, they were playing a loser's game.

She'd been terrified of doing the wrong thing and was constantly looking for ways to appease him - she worried about what he could do, to her or Charlie. The distance, both emotional and physical, was the worst because he craved her touch, her affection, even more than the heroin.

In a way, Daniel was lucky that he wasn't capable of hurting his wife like that in his current condition. To make her feel useless by giving such mixed signals that she wouldn't know what to do for him, and therefore ended up doing nothing for fear of doing the wrong thing.

"Christ," Jack muttered, running a hand through his hair. That whole ordeal had nearly destroyed his marriage at the time and even now, the memory of how much hurt he'd caused his family made his heart ache. But he also knew he and Sara had grown stronger through the experience, once they'd started communicating. They'd been good together, they just hadn't been able to overcome the death of their son. Not after everything else and especially not with the way Charlie died.

Maybe he was wrong. Perhaps having Sha're with him would be better for Daniel. Better than the alternative of her being snaked and Apophis' mate or dead. But there wasn't much he could do about that.

Not now.

No, it was Daniel who was in a serious condition now. Without Sha're at his side to help him the way Sara had helped Jack, Daniel needed his teammates to rally around him and just  _be there._ They'd support him and help him through withdrawal, regardless of how long it would take.

"He'll be out for quite a while, Colonel," Doctor Fraiser said from behind him. "Maybe you should get something to eat in the meantime."

"Nah, I'm good."

She stepped closer until she was standing next to him. Looking down, she smiled gently, "It wasn't a suggestion, Sir."

He snorted and shook his head. "Does it say 'colonel' anywhere on my uniform?"

"I'm speaking as your doctor, Sir. I still outrank you in medical matters."

"That's just wrong," he muttered.

Fraiser chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll let you know if there are any changes in his condition. I don't expect anything for at least a few more hours, though. Perhaps you should check in on your other teammates instead. Make sure Mister Teal'c and Lieutenant Kershaw are also following doctor's orders."

"You really think he's gonna be okay?"

"I do. We're still keeping an eye on his vitals, but like I said earlier they're slowly returning to normal. His cellular function is the most important for his long term health, but there are signs of improvement there as well."

"How long do you think?"

"It'll take time," she said, glancing at him. "I don't think I have to tell you that everyone recovers from addiction at a different rate. The sarcophagus is an unknown drug, though. Once the physical withdrawal is complete, there's still the psychological need to take into account. We don't have enough data to make a prognosis for it. It could be days or weeks, maybe even months."

"Months?"

Doctor Fraiser shrugged, eyeing Daniel. "I doubt it, but it's possible."

"That Pyrus guy lived for over seven hundred years before he died."

"The human body can only last so long until it starts to break down, I suppose. Sarcophagus or not. Daniel only used it nine or ten times. That's incomparable to King Pyrus."

Jack nodded in understanding, his mind already having come to the same conclusion. "But he changed. Daniel, I mean. Well, Pyrus presumably did as well over all those centuries. Daniel, though, had a personality change almost overnight."

"You think that's unrelated to the narcotic effect of the sarcophagus?"

"It's possible, right?"

"Colonel, you travel to other planets for a living and we're talking about an alien piece of technology that can revive the dead. I think anything is possible right now."

He sighed again and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Whatever the cause, the effect was noticeable after only a few of those dozen times."

"It could be a side effect, I suppose."

"Part of what makes the Goa'uld evil?"

It was Fraiser's turn to sigh as she turned to him, understanding dawning on her face. "According to Mister Teal'c the Unas, the First Ones, were the first hosts of the Goa'uld and they enslaved people as well. I'm pretty sure that was before the Goa'uld had sarcophagi, if only because of the size of an average Unas according to the notes from SG teams who've encountered them."

"You're saying the Goa'uld are born evil?"

"Well, it's pretty impossible not to for their kind if they're born with genetic memory. All the knowledge of your ancestors' evil deeds is bound to brainwash a malleable mind."

Jack bounced on the balls of his feet, trying to ask her the question that was burning on his tongue. "So…"

"Sir?"

"If a Goa'uld is born evil and becomes more evil through the sarcophagus, then what about the host? We know Kendra from Cimmeria was a host for a couple of years and she seems to be doing fine. A little nuts, but then we have enough wackos on Earth who didn't go through the traumatic experience she did. She never mentioned whether she used a sarcophagus, though."

"From what Mister Teal'c has told me, it seems only the more influential Goa'uld, like the System Lords, have one," Fraiser said, before giving him an inquisitive glance. "But if you're asking me if I think someone like Sha're could return to normal after removal of the Goa'uld, then I'd say yes. King Pyrus and many of the really evil Goa'uld have used their sarcophagi for centuries. Sha're has barely been gone a year."

Jack shrugged, aiming for casual indifference. "Yeah, Sha're, Skaara… Captain Carter."

The Doc didn't seem to fall for it. "Sure, if they're still alive and we can somehow remove their symbiotes, then I think it's entirely possible for them to make a full recovery. Physically speaking. We don't know what kind of emotional traumas the Captain has sustained but I don't see why she wouldn't be able to undergo withdrawal successfully."

"Ah. Well, I should probably go eat something and check in with SG-6 to see if they've heard anything about Apophis, Klorel or Herit. Let me know if there any changes in Daniel's condition, Doc."

"Will do, Sir."

* * *

**Cimmeria**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

The moment Sam exited the wormhole she squinted at the bright light, wishing for sunglasses and sighing as the sun warmed her. Upon hearing the telltale sign of the event horizon rippling, she turned around while unfastening her heavy cloak and saw Bra'tac casting wary glances around them. His staff weapon was raised in a defensive position and he raised a brow at her when she lowered her hood, exposing her blonde hair. After the fiasco with the rain washing Drey'auc's dye out of her hair, Sam hadn't attempted another 'tinting' and instead kept her hair covered up when they were among other people.

"It's a planet with Nordic roots," she said by way of an explanation. If anyone was used to blonde people it should be the Cimmerians, assuming anyone would even see them.

"You are certain this is the place?"

Sam thought she could still hear an underlying hint of fear in his voice and in a way, she was surprised he'd finally agreed to go to Cimmeria. According to Bra'tac, all Jaffa and Goa'uld were forbidden to go there because of something that had transpired on the planet that no Goa'uld would speak of. "If I remember correctly from SG-1's mission report, there should be a monolith here that will transp-"

"There!" Bra'tac used his staff weapon to point at the monolith in front of the stargate. "It hums!"

"Sounds like it's building up some kind of charge," she said. "According to Teal'c's mission report the scanning of his symbiote was very painful."

The Jaffa visibly steeled himself and straightened up, just when a blue beam came from the device and focused on his abdomen. "Argh!" He grunted, hand over his pouch before he doubled over in pain.

Sam rushed towards him, hoping she wasn't wrong about Cimmeria but concerned about the obvious pain he was in. "Bra'tac!" But no sooner had she reached him or she felt a piercing pain at the back of her neck, before she experienced a strange vibration down to her very core. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer standing near the stargate, but were in a dark cavern and her knees gave way. She managed to catch herself on outstretched hands, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground with her pregnant belly. The stabbing pain at the base of her skull had disappeared, but her head was still throbbing from the assault.

" _Sām,"_ Bra'tac said in a strained voice as he grabbed her by the arm to pull her up. "Are you harmed?"

"It just… oh, god, it hurts."

He helped her to her feet before turning away to check his pouch. The symbiote he carried peeked out, screeching. "My  _prim'ta_  is in great pain. What of Herit?"

Sam brought a hand up to the back of her skull, as if rubbing it would remove the pain. "I don't know. I feel a bit dizzy, but that might be the effect of the beam."

"We must hurry, before she awakens to heal herself."

"I think you took the brunt of the damage," she said. Herit still seemed to be hibernating, ever since the last time they'd gone into the sarcophagus. Still, he was right that there was a chance that an assault aimed at her specifically could wake her up. "But now that we're here, we might as well get it over with."

Bra'tac nodded once and moved off to the right. "This way."

Sam followed him and wasn't surprised to see a hologram of a Viking pop up. She vaguely remembered reading about Thor giving instructions in one of the SG-1 mission reports. "Bra'tac…"

"I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. The High Council of the Asgard has designated Cimmeria a safe world for developing sentient species by unanimous decree, Era 40.73.29. The Goa'uld System Lords were so informed. You were warned not to come here. Under pain of death. For crimes against the living host and all those you have murdered and enslaved, the sentence is death. This is your prison. Your technology will not function."

Reaching out, she moved her hand through the image of Thor and raised a brow at Bra'tac. "A hologram."

"Magic."

That was getting tired real fast, she thought. "It's no different from the communications orb Apophis used aboard the  _ha'tak_. It's just displayed in a more realistic way."

"Different kinds of magic."

"There are no luxuries, no worshippers, no slaves to do your bidding… only basic sustenance. And time. When you tire of this existence, go to the Hall of Mjollnir and face the Hammer. There is no escape. Only the host can leave this place. Alive," Thor concluded ominously, before his image disappeared.

"Not magic, just technology," she said, with one last glance at where Thor had been standing. If the circumstances had been different, she would have enjoyed examining the holographic device responsible for the message. But there were more pressing matters, right now. Maybe once she was rid of Herit and on a safe planet, she would have time to satisfy her scientific curiosity by taking a look inside of a DHD or taking apart some other alien technology. Not anytime soon, though.

Bra'tac gently touched her arm to get her attention. "You are certain we can escape this Goa'uld trap,  _Sām_?"

"Yes, we just have to get through this maze and reach Thor's Hammer. Maze, a labyrinth," she elaborated at his confused look.

"Very well, I will go first."

She let him take the lead, knowing from experience that he would insist upon it in case they'd encounter any hostiles. Before leaving Earth, the protective attitude would have bothered her but she had long ago stopped caring about it; she was just glad to have Bra'tac with her, or she never would have made it this far. "The reports said there were numerous skeletons here, victims – Goa'uld and their hosts – from an Unas."

"The First One," Bra'tac said warily. "They are spoken of in Jaffa legend."

"Well, apparently there was one right here. But it was killed."

He looked back at her over his shoulder, eyes narrowed. "We shall move with caution regardless."

They continued walking for a while, coming across the feeding ground of the Unas where the ground was littered with bones, but also a large room with shattered lamps. That was where one half of SG-1 must have passed, because Sam recalled reading that Colonel O'Neill's – Jack's – weapons were working.

"It can't be much farther now," she said.

There were carvings on the walls when they turned a corner and Bra'tac took only a brief look at them, before moving onwards with his staff weapon still readied. They took a turn to the right and ended up in front of a large room with bowls hanging from the ceiling by chains. Above the doorway was a carving of snakes and the smell of rotting flesh hit their nostrils.

Bra'tac walked into the room, scanning for dangers, before he turned to the left. "The Unas is dead. There is no one else here,  _Sām_."

"And that looks to be Thor's Hammer," she said, pointing towards the structure up ahead. "There is supposed to be an exit behind it, but that's most likely sealed from the outside."

"I have the tools you required."

Sam watched as he started rummaging about in his bag, laying out the tools she'd told him to acquire on off-world markets as far away from the dead Unas as possible. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the Hammer and looked up at the device. The only way to the exit was through its doorway and she couldn't quite believe her salvation was this close. "We actually made it," she muttered, reaching out a hand to touch the alien material reverently.

"Be careful,  _Sām._ "

"It's harmless," she said with a smile in his direction. "SG-1 disabled it when they freed Teal'c."

"Of this you are certain?"

Steeling herself, she stepped forward until she stood in the doorway. Nothing happened. Another couple of steps took her towards the sealed-off exit. Just as she'd expected there was no way they'd be able to open it without some tools and brute force. "Do you think you'll be able to break this open?"

Bra'tac joined her after a moment of hesitation in front of the Hammer and inspected the cave's wall by sliding his hands over it. "Yes. How will you destroy Herit without the Hammer?"

"Oh," she said, walking back to where the tools were, "it's still here. The staff blast they used to disable it simply short-circuited the system. I just have to fix it and then it'll be up and running again." She hoped.

"Hm."

After giving him some instructions, they started removing the outer layer of the device on both sides of the doorway. It took longer than she'd expected to reach the innards and the beauty and complexity of the technology was stunning.

"We must eat first," Bra'tac said, dragging her away from the Hammer. "You and your child need to be at full strength if you succeed in using the magic to remove Herit."

Sam reluctantly sat down on the cold floor, ignoring the rotting Unas corpse as best she could, and reached for one of the purple fruits he'd laid out. It looked appealing and like nothing she'd ever seen before. Her stomach growled as if to agree with her but before she could examine the fruit thoroughly, Bra'tac snatched it from her hands. "Hey!"

"You cannot eat this."

"Um, why not?"

He brushed over the fruit with his sleeve before taking a bite from it, juice dripping down his chin. "It is harmful to the child."

"I thought you didn't know anything about pregnancies," she said, confused.

"Many years ago, when I was little more than a  _chal'tii_ , I was assigned to Apophis' harem. To guard the females. A Goa'uld will often use his host to procreate with a  _lo'taur_ , to ensure there will be enough slaves loyal to them. Mothers will not leave their children behind and those children grow up with many privileges compared to other human slaves. They have an unwavering faith in their God and are often chosen as  _lo'taurs_  or future hosts. Goa'uld believe they are stock of better quality due to their host's genetic contribution."

"That's… disturbing."

Bra'tac nodded curtly, before taking another bite. "As a guard, I was taught which foods the ones with child could not eat. This fruit is one of them."

Sam smiled gratefully at him while rubbing her belly. The baby had been quiet for most of the day, but gently started kicking in response to the pressure of her hand. "Is there anything else I can eat?"

"Indeed."

"So, why did you take the fruit to begin with?" She asked, peeling a green orange-like fruit he handed her.

Bra'tac smirked after throwing the pit of the fruit in the dead Unas' direction. "Because I  _can_  eat it and I enjoy its sweet juice."

Snorting, she shook her head and focused on her own meal. After taking the last bite, she took a swig of water to wash it away. The fruit had a bitter aftertaste she didn't enjoy, but it filled her up and that was more important.

"Come." The Jaffa was standing and reached out his hand to help her up. "Do you require my assistance for the magical Hammer?"

"No," she said, after getting to her feet and dusting off her robes. "I think I can take it from here. However, you have to promise me to stay behind the doorway. I need you to unseal the exit and if I get the device to work, you can't step back through or it will kill your symbiote."

Bra'tac inclined his head in assent, although he didn't seem entirely convinced. After picking up their tools and other stuff, he stepped through the doorway once more and dropped everything to the floor on that side to start working on the exit.

Sam wasn't quite sure where to start on the Hammer. The technology was light-years ahead of anything she'd ever seen on Earth. Marvelous, really. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus her thoughts and started moving on instinct upon opening them. Her hands ran over the many crystals and other unrecognizable technology. After familiarizing herself with it as best as possible, she started tweaking things and temporarily removing crystals just to find out what the effects were.

"Ow!" She cried out, after getting a mild electric shock.

" _Sām_!"

"No! Don't get any closer," she said, holding up her hands to stave him off. "I don't think I fixed it quite yet but I want to be on the safe side."

Bra'tac looked as if he wanted to protest, but stayed but. "Are you harmed?"

She shook her head after examining her hand up close. "No, it's nothing serious. But at least I know it's still operational."

"You will proceed?"

"Not like I have a lot of choice," she said, shrugging. "But yeah, I can get it to work. You just make sure to unseal the exit."

He turned around to get back to work, before swiveling on his heels. "Do not endanger yourself,  _Sām._ "

"I won't."

Bra'tac looked at her as if to say they both knew she was lying, but didn't say anything and returned to the back of the cave.

Sam turned all her attention on the alien device, poking and prodding it with some of the tools they'd acquired. She was more careful this time around but eventually had to admit – to herself – that the problem couldn't be fixed from her side. Bra'tac was standing with his back towards her, so she cautiously moved through the doorway to start exploring the innards from that side.

Hours had passed by the time Bra'tac announced he had succeeded; the cave was open and they could leave whenever they wanted. He didn't say anything about the fact that she was working on the wrong side of the doorway and simply took up position behind her, guarding her like he had done many times since their escape.

"Yes!" Sam said excitedly, smiling at him. "I think I've got it. Look." She plugged one of the removed crystals in place of a damaged one and watched as the doorway briefly flashed red and made a sound like it was powering up.

" _Sām…_ "

"Just, wait." After removing the crystal, the humming stopped and nothing happened. "I'm going to cross the doorway now and I want you to place this in here when I'm on the other side. Okay?"

"You are certain?"

She nodded, smiling nervously. "Yeah. It's the only way, remember."

" _Chel nok,_   _Sām."_

"Thanks." After clasping his offered arm, she handed him the crystal and took a deep breath before stepping through the doorway. Tension left her body when she stepped on the other side, unharmed. For a moment, she'd been worried…

"Now?"

"Now."

Sam automatically took a step back when the doorway flashed red again and suddenly found herself reluctant to go ahead with her plan. "Bra'tac," she breathed.

"Do you wish for me to remove it?"

"No! I-I just… need a minute. Give me a minute and I'll step through."

Understanding was written on his weary face and his gaze spoke of sympathy when he inclined his head. "Make no haste."

_Carters aren't quitters. Get moving, Sam!_

It was as if her father was standing behind her, shouting at her in his Colonel voice and she couldn't suppress a smile. Drawing strength from the memory, she steeled herself and walked straight ahead with one hand resting protectively on her abdomen.

The moment she stood in the doorway a sharp pain lanced through her and it felt like she was sinking away in quicksand. Sam cried out in pain, gripping the side of the Hammer with her free hand while panicking at the thought of losing the baby. In the distance, she could hear Bra'tac shouting at her, but the sensations she was experiencing were overwhelming. After managing one step forward, a crippling pain sent her to her knees and she whimpered. It was like someone was stabbing her in the back of the head with a knife, while simultaneously ripping her body apart.

Then, suddenly, the pain was gone and she felt nothing but the cold ground against her face and pressure on her shoulders.

" _Sām, Sām!_ "

"Bra'tac?" Her voice sounded pathetic, even to her own ears. When she looked up, a wave of nausea hit her but seeing his familiar face chased away the fear.

He kneeled in front of her, brushing her hair away from her face. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine," she said weakly, resting her cheek on the ground again. "We… the baby, we're fine."

"Hm." Bra'tac wasn't convinced and with a move belying his age, swung her up in his arms and carried her out of the cave.


	6. 6

**O'Neill Residence**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**April 3, 1998**

A look out the kitchen window showed it was finally getting dark and Jack smiled as he put the cleaned dishes away in the cupboards. Cassie was staying over for the weekend to give Fraiser a break and the girl always asked him if they could look at the stars when it got dark.

They'd just finished doing the dishes, after a meal the Doc would never approve – hot dogs and ice cream – and he'd even helped Cassie with some of her homework. He never thought he'd be doing that again after Charlie, but she had asked and he couldn't refuse. She was still a bit behind, catching up on things she'd never been taught on Hanka but she had adjusted well to going to school.

Now she was in the living room, working on an art project with the paint and tools he'd gotten her for Christmas, while he cleaned up the kitchen.

Jack wasn't home often, spending most of his time on base or off-world. But he enjoyed spending time with Cassie when he could and Fraiser always appreciated it when he or the team showed an interest in the alien girl. Kids and dogs were his favorite kind of people, after all. Kids because of their innocence and the way they saw the world – so different from him, after everything he'd done in service of his country – and dogs because of their loyalty. If he'd been home more, he would have gotten himself a dog. Years ago, he'd suggested it to Sara as well but she'd shot him down, saying they already had a son she had to care of on her own whenever he was away on a mission – she wasn't wrong.

Janet Fraiser adopting Cassie meant he got to spend time with her and the dog he'd gotten her. The Doc still hadn't forgiven him for Boomer, but despite her Napoleonic power mongering she didn't have the heart to get rid of the dog. And Cassie was crazy about her pet. So, whenever he offered to watch Cassie, he got the dog as well. If Fraiser thought she was punishing him, she was sorely mistaken.

"Isn't that right, buddy?" Jack said, petting Boomer on the head before giving the dog some food.

Boomer simply got up to eat, wagging his tail.

"Jack?"

Turning around, he saw Cassie standing in the door opening. "Yeah?"

"Can we go stargazing now?"

He smiled and walked over to her, ruffling her hair. "You finish your art project yet?"

"Almost. I want to finish it tomorrow."

"All right. Go get cleaned up and grab your coat," he said, after giving her a onceover and noticing some paint smudges on her hands and arms. "I'll set up the telescope."

He went out the backdoor and made his way over to the platform where the telescope was standing. Last night, he'd been out there until the early morning hours, scanning the night's sky. He'd been using the device sporadically the past year until his team had blown up the Goa'uld motherships. Ever since, he often found himself looking through the telescope at night. Admiring and searching celestial bodies, even though he knew it would never result in finding a clue as to Sam or Skaara's fate.

Soft footsteps on the ladder interrupted his thoughts and he moved to grab the fold-up chair he kept there for Cassie. "Hey munchkin," he said, when she climbed onto the platform. "Take a seat."

"Is it set for Hanka yet?"

Jack made some final adjustments to the telescope and gestured for her to take a look. "Sure is."

"It's so beautiful," she said, glancing back at him, "don't you think?"

"Yeah."

Cassie went back to gazing at her home planet through the telescope. After a while, she sighed and sat back, frowning. "Do you think I can go back someday?"

Jack leaned in and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. "Maybe."

"Just to visit, I mean."

"Perhaps when you're older and the stargate is accessible to the public."

"Mom could come with me and I could show her where I used to live," Cassie said, snuggling closer.

Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smiled into her hair. "I think she'd like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Cassie smiled, pleased. "And you, Daniel, Teal'c and Christina could come, too."

"We could all go," Jack said, "even General Hammond and Walter."

She pulled back from him, a pensive look on her face. "Has Walter ever gone through the stargate?"

Before Jack could answer, the shrill sound of his cell phone sounded, interrupting them. He hated the thing but Hammond had insisted he – and other team leaders – had to be available twenty-four seven in case of emergencies. Sighing, he got up and retrieved the cell phone from his pocket. "O'Neill."

Walter was on the other end of the line, explaining that an emergency had come up and that he and his team had to report to Hammond ASAP.

"It's okay," Cassie said after he hung up. "Mom's shift is almost over, so she can take me home."

"I'm sorry, munchkin."

She shrugged, clearly used to it already. "Maybe I can come over tomorrow or Sunday?"

"I don't know how long it'll take," he said, "but if I'm back by then, I'll pick you and Boomer up myself. Deal?"

"Yeah!"

It didn't take him long to get her and Boomer in his truck and without much traffic on the road, they reached Cheyenne Mountain within half an hour. Getting past the first checkpoint with a kid and a dog took a bit longer, but fortunately Fraiser was already waiting for them at the second checkpoint.

"I'll take them from here, Sir," she said.

"Okay," he said, pressing a kiss to Cassie's crown. Leaning down, he petted Boomer. He caught Fraiser's gaze and straightened up. "She finished her homework, but her art project is still at my place. I'll drop it off later this weekend, when I'm back."

"That's fine, Colonel. Thank you for taking care of her."

"Anytime," he said. Turning to Cassie, he winked. "Bye munchkin."

"Bye Jack!"

Giving them a little wave, he turned around and headed inside. The security checks slowed him down a few minutes, but soon he was in the elevator descending into the mountain. His teammates were already in the briefing room, which made him wonder if Kershaw and Daniel had even left the base. "Guys."

"Jack."

"Sir."

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, inclining his head. "General Hammond will be with us shortly."

Jack plopped down in his chair and glanced at the base commander's office where Hammond could be seen on the phone. "Any idea what this is about?"

"I spoke to Catherine just now and she told me someone dialed us up and it left a faint nuclear signature on the iris."

Raising his brows, he looked around the table. "Someone's trying to nuke us?"

"No, it was iridium. The radioactive stuff we put in the Sagan Institute box we left Kendra."

"Cimmeria," Teal'c said.

Hammond entered the briefing room and took his seat at the head of the table. "You're correct. It appears the Cimmerians are trying to contact us. We'd like for you to go there and find out why."

"Um, weren't the locals supposed to give that box to Thor?"

"Maybe they did and this is his way of asking us to meet him," Daniel said.

Jack looked at him skeptically. "I thought the Asgard were supposed to be more advanced than we are?"

"You've got to admit it's a smart way to contact us, Sir," Kershaw said with a shrug.

"Am I the only one who remembers that we destroyed their de-Goa'ulding thing? Might not they look unkindly on that?"

"We did that to save Teal'c. I'm sure the Asgards didn't expect to trap a Jaffa who isn't an enemy. I'm sure they'd understand."

General Hammond waited until everyone was looking at him before he spoke. "That is exactly why I think it would be best if Teal'c sits this one out. We don't know what's going on over there. Doctor Langford already sent a probe earlier tonight but there were no visible changes since your last visit nor was anyone waiting for us at the gate."

Jack didn't like the idea of being a man down for this mission, especially not Teal'c – who really counted for at least two men – but he understood what his CO was saying and didn't entirely disagree. Sure, they'd met Gairwyn and Kendra last time and they were both accepting of Teal'c after seeing that he was willing to sacrifice his life to give Daniel a chance to save Sha're and Skaara by using Thor's Hammer. But who knew who'd be on the other end of that wormhole now? He wasn't an expert on mythology or history like Daniel, but he was pretty sure the Vikings weren't known for their forgiveness – and if he was Thor, he'd be pretty pissed at a bunch of humans destroying a device that had protected the Cimmerians for centuries. "You okay with that, T?"

"I am."

"Good," Hammond said. "The rest of you gear up; you move out in twenty minutes. Dismissed."

The three of them were geared up and gathered in the gate room fifteen minutes later, but Teal'c was standing next to Hammond in the control room. Walter was dialing up the gate and counting down.

"Scheduled check-in is in twelve hours from now. I expect you all three back here, safe and sound, within twenty-four hours. Godspeed, SG-1."

Jack nodded at both his commander and the Jaffa, before turning back to Daniel and Kershaw. "Let's head out."

Hammond's words came back to him when they exited the wormhole on Cimmeria and he had to admit the General was right; it looked just like they'd left it.

"Sir," Kershaw said, jerking her head in the direction of the monolith opposite the gate.

Last time, it had scanned the four of them for a Goa'uld and stopped at Teal'c. Worried when the Jaffa doubled over in pain, Jack had reached out to pull him out of the way but instead, they'd both been transported to an underground maze with a big ass Unas in it. "Well, let's hope that thing isn't going to send anyone away this time."

"It shouldn't," Daniel said, pushing up his glasses. "I mean, none of us have a symbiote and it only affected you last time because you held onto Teal'c."

Jack still held his breath when the blue beam appeared and started scanning his body, though. It only lasted a minute and then it moved on to Kershaw, who was also in the clear. Daniel was last and then it just… stopped. The blue beam was gone and the monolith stopped humming.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Jack said.

"Now what, Sir?"

"Um, I think we should go see Kendra, Jack. She's the one we gave the box to."

He shrugged and gestured for him to lead the way. The trek from the cave to the gate hadn't included a detour to Kendra's camp last time, so he had no idea which direction to go into. He brought up the rear and made sure to keep his eyes and ears open, scanning for threats or anomalies. They were one man short after all, and that man happened to have the best hearing and most experience out in the field of them all.

Only ten minutes in and Daniel's sense of direction abandoned the archaeologist already, according to Kershaw. "I'm sure, Sir. It's maybe half a klick that way."

"Daniel?"

"Um, okay. I guess we'll find out soon enough. We can always just go back and head east."

Jack rolled his eyes and told Kershaw to take point. "Guess Teal'c and I were lucky that Kendra was there to take you two to the cave housing Thor's Hammer last time. Otherwise we might have still been in there," he added.

"Oh, ha ha," Daniel said, glaring back at him.

The Lieutenant turned out to be correct and soon they reached Kendra's camp. Gairwyn was also present, bringing the former host food.

"Hello there, ladies," Jack said. "You called?"

"You have returned!"

Kendra smiled at Gairwyn's exclamation and stepped forward. "It is good to see you again, friends. I apologize for using the box to summon you instead of giving it to Thor upon his return as promised."

"Well, the situation must have been dire for you to do so," Daniel said.

"This is true," Gairwyn said. "My husband and his brothers were hunting and discovered the exit of Thor's labyrinth is no longer sealed!"

Jack exchanged glances with his teammates before turning back to Kendra. "And you're worried about any Goa'uld or Jaffa escaping the cave to attack you."

"I told you they would understand," Kendra said to Gairwyn. "Yes, this is precisely why we summoned you."

"How many of your people knew about the labyrinth's exit and that we destroyed the Hammer last time?"

"The Lieutenant is right," Jack said, nodding. "Is it possible one of your own people opened up the cave? Maybe they were just curious and wanted to see Thor's Hammer?"

"Or the dead Unas," Daniel supplied.

Kershaw shrugged. "Or the message from Thor you told us about, Sir."

Gairwyn was shaking her head in denial, "No! Our people know not to go there."

"Thor guided our men there, to discover the danger we find ourselves in. I will take you there so you may see for yourself."

"Sure, lead the way," Jack said with a wave of his hand.

This time, Gairwyn arranged horses for them to make the trek to Thor's labyrinth. They arrived within half an hour and there it was clear Gairwyn and Kendra were right.

"Looks like someone broke it open from the inside, Sir."

"Let's take a look, Lieutenant. You two ladies stay here. Daniel, watch our six."

The three of them moved into the cave and through Thor's Hammer. The Unas' dead body was still lying where Jack had last seen it. He took Kershaw with him to explore the maze for signs of any occupants, but there was no one there.

"Um, Jack," Daniel said when they returned, "you should see this."

"See what?"

The archaeologist indicated the Hammer he was standing in front of. "This."

"What about it?"

"I don't think it's broken," he said, looking confused. "Not anymore, at least."

Surprised, Jack moved over to it and started examining it up close. He could hear a low hum emanate from the device, which would normally indicate a device was operational.

"There are footprints here. Two sets."

"Lieutenant?"

"They're not ours, Sir. No boots."

Turning back to her, Jack saw she was right. "Daniel, do you have your camera with you? Maybe we can take some pictures.'

"Too bad Teal'c isn't here," Kershaw said, referring to the Jaffa's tracking skills.

"Um, I'd say 'fortunately'," Daniel corrected her, eyebrows raised. "If he'd come along, he would have been beamed over here straight away, without a way out. Assuming Thor's Hammer is indeed working again."

"Oh, right. Well, I suppose we could have shot it again."

"And destroy it again? No, we just got a second chance for Sha're and Skaara and Captain Carter!"

Kershaw grimaced, before using the camera Daniel handed her to make a couple of pictures. "Well yeah, but we'd have to find them first. If they're still alive."

"Lieutenant," Jack said sharply. Now was not the time to destroy Daniel's renewed hope. "Those footprints? They look decidedly human."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do either of you think Thor or his Asgard friends would leave such footprints? Hell, that they'd even come here on foot to fix their de-Goa'ulding device?"

From the look on Daniel's face, he hadn't given it much thought yet. "You don't think it was Thor?"

Jack shook his head, grinning. "Nope." The only person he could think of who might be able to fix it, was Sam. If there was any truth to her record and Catherine's praise, she'd have a shot of accomplishing what none of them had even imagined. Who else would benefit from repairing Thor's Hammer? Hell, who would even  _know_  it was broken in the first place? Only someone from the SGC could know what had happened from SG-1's mission reports.

That meant Sam had been here and got rid of Herit after fixing the device – and she'd had help from someone else.

* * *

**Kresh'taa Camp**   
**Apophis' domain**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam stumbled back into the makeshift hut and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. The temperatures were low and she felt like crap. She was cold all the time and up until two days ago, she'd been experiencing nausea, cramps and vomiting. At first she'd been worried something was wrong with the baby and then that it was an after effect of using Thor's Hammer, which had taken quite a lot out of her. But when the diarrhea started, she figured it had to be the water – it was contaminated.

After Cimmeria, Bra'tac had brought her to one of the uninhabited planets they'd stayed at before but he hadn't felt safe there, so once she had caught up on some much needed rest they'd left. He brought her here, where they'd been staying for almost two weeks at the outskirts of a  _kresh'taa_  camp. She was the only human among dozens of Jaffa, but no one had seemed to notice because she was all bundled up and had a fake tattoo on her forehead. However, with all the outcasts being Jaffa with symbiotes functioning as their immune system, none of them would have any side effects from drinking contaminated water.

Sighing, Sam cautiously lowered herself in a hammock. It was only a few inches off the ground when she was lying in it, but it was more comfortable than a hard and cold floor. Sitting down and getting up was becoming more and more difficult with her growing belly, which only added to her misery when she had to dash off for latrine breaks.

Bra'tac had returned from getting supplies for her – for a simple water filtration system – a little after sundown, but aside from a brief greeting she hadn't seen him. Some of the  _kresh'taa_  had needed his assistance and he hadn't even had time to drop off the materials he brought back. Assuming he'd succeeded.

"I know, I know," she said, rubbing her belly as the baby started kicking. "We have to work with them, or we'll become outcasts among the outcasts. They won't be suspicious or curious about us if Bra'tac helps them out every now and then."

She wasn't at ease at the camp, though. Too many eyes watching them and she was always worried about someone recognizing her, or at least catching a glimpse of her blonde hair or pregnancy. Bra'tac seemed to have no problems adjusting to this kind of life, even though he had to be more accustomed to a better lifestyle as a Goa'uld's First Prime. For some reason, she couldn't do the same. No, she'd much rather be somewhere secluded. She feared for her own safety and the baby's, knowing all the Jaffa could turn on her and bring her before a Goa'uld if they found out who she was. Something like that would be rewarded and the Jaffa's  _kresh'taa_  status would be no more.

" _Sām._ "

Startling awake, she realized she had dozed off and found Bra'tac hovering over her. "Um, hi."

"You are awake," he said, as if he hadn't just woken her up. "I have retrieved the supplies you requested."

"Smells like something is burning."

Bra'tac took a step back as she sat up and looked around. "Your  _net't_."

Sam followed his line of sight and saw an animal pelt lying on the rock they used to dry their clothes on. "It's finished?"

"You may use it," he said, grabbing the pelt and handing it to her.

Its scent reminded her of how her clothes used to smell after a summer barbeque, but the pelt was soft and, most importantly, warm. Large too. The animal it came from had been larger than a bear and it had taken her and Bra'tac a couple of hours to skin it, longer than she'd expected. Of course, up until then she'd only practiced twice on raccoon-sized animals, with Bra'tac instructing her on what to do. The fleshing part had been especially arduous and disgusting. After that, when he'd started using the brain matter, he'd sent her away and a male Jaffa took over. Apparently, that wasn't considered a woman's job and it would attract the wrong kind of attention if she did it – for once, she was glad to be considered incapable based on her sex.

"These are the materials you required for your  _ȧkhab_."

Bra'tac's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up from the pelt to see him standing there with a barrel-like reservoir and three small bags in his hands. "Thank you," she said.

"How will this prevent you from becoming ill again?"

With effort, Sam got up and placed the pelt in the hammock. She took the barrel from him and opened it, looking inside. It was clean, or as clean as it was going to get in these living conditions. "I'll show you. Did you bring the-"

" _Nesh_."

" _Nesh._  Gravel," she muttered, after opening the heavy bag he handed her. It was more than enough to cover the bottom of the barrel in two or three inches. "Charcoal?"

Bra'tac nodded, handing another bag. " _Hens't_."

"And the sand?" She asked, after adding the charcoal.

" _Sh_ _ā_."

She smiled at the use of his native language, knowing he did it for her benefit after she'd told him she had trouble understanding what the Jaffa around them were talking about. He'd mostly spoken English since they escaped the ship but he was trying to teach her these days. "Okay," she said, gesturing at the barrel filled with gravel, charcoal and sand. "It's a pretty simple concept, really. By pouring in contaminated water, it'll go through these layers to the bottom of the barrel and be filtered along the way. I can use this tap to get the filtered water – the  _ȧkhab_."

"Not magic, hm?"

Grinning, she shook her head. "No magic. Just a simple water filtration system."

"It will be good enough for you and your child?"

"Should be," she said, biting her lip. "Certainly better than drinking contaminated water."

"You are certain it was the water that made you ill?"

"Well, yeah. It has to be. Herit probably did more than just hibernate while she was alive inside of me; she must have regulated certain processes to ensure her survival and, by extension, mine. I think she was the reason I didn't get sick – at all – before. Now that she's dead, my body suddenly lost its filter."

Bra'tac nodded in understanding and took the barrel from her. "Very well, we will start today."

"That'd be great," Sam said. "I'd like to drink some water again, instead of these fruit juices and mastadge's milk."

"We will need to store great amounts of the  _ȧkhab_ for the child's birth one  _ȧbṭ_  from now. Once the lunar cycle is complete, I will bring you to a safe, uninhabited planet where we can stock the water and prepare for the birth."

"We'll be staying there the whole month?" She questioned, hearing about his plans for  _her_  delivery for the first time.

"Indeed. Your progress in hunting and preparing meat has ensured we have enough food until the child is born. I will forage for fresh fruit and seeds on the planet, when I return."

Surprised, she looked up at him. "'Return'? From where?"

"You will require assistance with the birth of your child."

"From whom?"

Bra'tac frowned at her, as if it was obvious. "A priestess from the Red Hills. I have known her for many years and she accepted my teachings of false gods. She will not betray us."

"A priestess?"

"In one of Apophis' temples," he said, "where she has assisted many females with  _uhem ānkh._ "

" _Uhem ānkh_?" She questioned, thinking. "Wait, a water birth?! I'm not having a water birth!"

He appeared genuinely confused. "Then how do you plan on birthing the child?"

"Um, I don't know. The old fashioned way?"

"I am unfamiliar with that method."

Sam rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, trying to stay calm. "Lying on a bed. What made you think I want a water birth?"

"It is how the Queens birth their young, as well as the wives of high-ranking Jaffa."

The image Doctor Fraiser had painted for her with her description of Hathor's young a lifetime ago suddenly flashed through Sam's mind. She shuddered. "Well, I'm not a Goa'uld and I certainly don't want to imitate them. Besides, would a priestess really be a good idea?"

"She is worthy of my trust, but I do not know if she is familiar with other birthing techniques."

"You've really never heard of other ways to give birth?'

Bra'tac waved a hand dismissively. "It is women's work and most often occurs when the warriors are away to fight for their God."

"So, normally it's the priestess who helps the important wives, but what about the other women who aren't married to high-ranking men?"

"I do not know. The females help each other. Did you not assist your brother's wife when she birthed his child?"

Sam suppressed the pang of sadness she felt at the reminder of her brother and his family. Even though they hadn't been close, she still missed them. With every day that passed it became harder to believe she would see them again, someday. "Uh, no. It's different where I'm from."

"You should not concern yourself with it yet; you have more than one  _ȧbṭ_  before your child is due and by then you shall have the assistance you require. I will ensure it."

"Thank you, Bra'tac."

He nodded curtly and moved over to where their remaining candles were burning. "Now, it is time to continue your kelno'reem sessions."

With some effort, Sam sat down on the floor opposite him. "I haven't made much progress these past few days while you were away."

"You were distracted," he stated, eyeing her. "The child?"

She smiled and rubbed her stomach. "The baby is fine, very active. I don't think we need to worry about Thor's Hammer having side effects on it. No, I just find it hard to relax with so many people – Jaffa – around."

"You fear someone will discover your identity and betray us."

"It's not that crazy a notion, is it?"

Bra'tac simply shook his head, glancing to the door of their hut. "No one will disturb us tonight,  _Sām."_

"It's not just that," she said, sighing again. "There are so many of them in this camp and I can… sense them, or something."

"You did not sense this before the Goa'uld died?"

"I did, but when I first realized it back on the ship, I thought it was just my revulsion. Later on, I connected it to Goa'uld and Jaffa. I'm guessing Herit's implantation changed my genetic makeup somehow, which allowed me to use the hand and healing devices."

"A Jaffa can sense another Jaffa in close proximity," Bra'tac explained. "A Goa'uld's presence is more pronounced, like yours is to me. However, when there are many Jaffa present it becomes difficult to determine who you are sensing, especially for young  _chal'tii_. The Jaffa here will not realize your presence is stronger,  _Sām._ "

Sam nodded slowly, processing the new information. "The symbiotes must introduce some kind of foreign molecule or something into a host or Jaffa's system. If a Goa'uld has more of this, then it stands to reason their signal as it were is stronger. Perhaps that also allows them – me – to use the Goa'uld technology, since Jaffa can't."

"Perhaps. Today, we will focus on this. Close your eyes, regulate your breathing and try to access Herit's knowledge,  _Sām_ …"


	7. Chapter 7

**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

The sun was low on the horizon and it was getting darker outside. Bra'tac had brought Sam to this planet three days ago and she knew from her observations that it wouldn't take long for night to fall now. She pulled the furry cape he'd left her tighter around her shoulders and warmed her hands near the small fire she'd built. The dry wood she'd collected the day before yesterday was running out and she didn't think the fire would last the night.

Should she go out to collect some more?

The snow meant there wouldn't be much dry wood left, at least not in the obvious places. Just the cape, her cloak and robes weren't enough to keep her warm. She had mittens for when she  _had_  to go outside and could lie under the woolen blanket on her straw bed once the fire went out, but she was afraid of falling asleep – eventually – in the cold and either not waking up again or getting attacked by wild animals. Her father had always taught her and Mark a fire could keep wild animals away on their camping trips, but some animals were also attracted to the fire or humans.

_Don't forget they are still wild animals though, Sam_.  _That makes them unpredictable, especially if they're hungry or injured_. Her father's words came back to her and she sighed. What to do?

Bra'tac was usually the one who to keep watch while  _kelno'reeming_ , so she didn't worry about it as much. But now that she was alone and vulnerable, she wasn't sure what the best option was. She doubted she could freeze to death at these temperatures, otherwise Bra'tac would have warned her. Right? Of course, it was possible he didn't normally visit the planet in its current season and thus would be unaware. Still, she'd  _seen_  wild animals and knew they weren't far from the cave.

As a matter of fact, she'd caught a fox-like creature two days ago in the snare she'd laid out.

All on her own.

After helping her settle in on their first day, Bra'tac had left to find the priestess he'd mentioned and he hadn't returned yet. It had been half a day's walk from the stargate to the cave she and Bra'tac had made their camp in, but shortly after he'd left it had started to snow and it hadn't let up until darkness had fallen. It would have taken him longer to reach the gate in such weather and then he'd have to travel to Chulak to find the priestess. Considering his status, he would have to be extra careful not to be noticed and couldn't just go straight to the temple. Once he'd located the priestess, they would have to travel back to her, across the snowy landscape. Sam didn't expect them for another day or two, assuming all went well.

Sam shivered and got up, using the cave's wall for support. It was becoming more and more difficult to move around with her pregnant belly, much to her annoyance. After securing the cloak around her body as best as she could, she started pacing around the fire. She couldn't help but notice the flames of the fire growing smaller, though. At the mouth of the cave, she could barely see twenty meters ahead now that the sun had gone down. But the sun  _had_  helped melt the snow that had been there earlier today. The ground nearby was clear, although she spotted the occasional puddle.

Suddenly, there was an eerie quiet. Realizing she could no longer hear the crackle of the fire, Sam turned around and saw only a few glowing embers where the fire had been a moment ago.

"Damn." Her back had been killing her all day and she wasn't looking forward to leaving the camp in the hopes of finding dry wood with darkness falling.

"But I don't have a choice now, do I?" She said aloud, rubbing her hand over her belly. The baby hadn't been very active all day but when she pushed harder, it kicked back. "Guess you don't like the cold either. Maybe we should have gotten another pelt before coming here… who knows, maybe Bra'tac and his priestess friend will bring us something warm."

Collecting the things she'd need, Sam got ready to venture out. The only upside to the trip was being able to combine it with a proper latrine break before going to bed tonight, she thought. The baby was pressing down on her bladder and especially since this morning she'd felt like she needed to pee every five minutes.

Before going out, she checked if she had her knife – in her leather boot – and attached a  _zat'nik'tel_  to her belt. She hesitated for a moment and then decided she'd rather be safe than sorry and slipped on her hand device. Just in case she'd encounter an animal or something. Of course, that was assuming she could still operate it with Herit gone…

There was a small descent until she reached the ground, but after the past couple of days that wasn't difficult anymore, not even with her round belly. The ground was slippery though. She nearly slipped as she started down the path and decided to turn on the lantern earlier than planned, before she'd land face-first in the dirt. Moving the lantern to her left hand, she grabbed her  _zat'nik'tel_  with her right just in case. There was nothing wrong with being prepared.

She searched the area for dry wood, eyes and ears open for possible dangers. So far, she had only found a few twigs, barely enough to start a fire. The farther she went from the cave, the muddier the ground became and the less chance of success she seemed to have. It was becoming darker as well, so she decided to head back and double-check the trees and brushes.

A twinge in her back made her pause. The pain intensified when she tried to move again and she was forced to lean against a tree for support. It was the same spot that had been bothering her the last couple of days and had been acting up more frequently since this morning. She silently berated herself for setting the snare and dragging the fox-like creature all the way to the cave on her own. She must have pulled a muscle and the straw bed she slept in didn't do her heavily pregnant body any favors…

Gritting her teeth, Sam pushed away from the tree and continued walking. Just to be safe, she stayed on the side of the path near the trees, even though the ground was more slippery there. A few meters later, she doubled over, groaning, and dropped the bag with collected firewood.

"Oh, hell," she muttered, rubbing the sore spot with her hand. Another sharp pain and she blindly reached for a tree, biting her lip. She took a deep breath and straightened up, leaning heavily against the trunk.

Just as she was about to start moving again, she felt the sudden urge to pee. She managed to kick the bag with collected wood out of the way and pull her robes and cloak up in the nick of time. She remembered her sister-in-law telling her about her constant urge to pee when she'd been pregnant, but Sam hadn't expected it to be so… well, true. To her surprise, she just kept going, as if she'd emptied a bucket even though it felt like she'd finished.

"Holy Hannah!"

Sam groaned when she felt another sharp pain, this time low in her belly and released her hold on her clothes. God, she was going into labor! She froze at the thought, fear clawing up her spine at the realization of doing it on her own. Damn Bra'tac, telling her she still had a month to go!

Oh, and hell, but it  _hurt_.

Gritting her teeth, she took a few steps forward and nearly stumbled over the collected wood. She forced herself to breathe through the pain as she leaned down, knowing she wouldn't last the night without a campfire. Another intense pain – a  _contraction_  – brought her to her knees, one hand on her belly and the other in the mud. After a minute or so, her body relaxed again and she grabbed the bag with the firewood.

Getting up, however, was a whole different story.

It took her half a dozen tries and three contractions to get back on her feet and even then, she swayed and used a boulder for support. In pain, sweating and cold, Sam allowed herself to rest for a while. The darkness made the cave where her camp was at difficult to see, but she knew it was no more than fifty meters ahead. From the few visible landmarks she could tell which direction it was in, but she had no idea how fast she could get there.

It was only when she sat there, trying to breathe through the contractions and keeping an eye on her surroundings, that she realized she'd dropped her lantern somewhere. No wonder it felt like it had become darker all of a sudden. She knew she could go back to look for it, but her first priority was safety and warmth considering the baby's untimely arrival.

"Arggh!" A particularly long and strong contraction made her cry out and nearly double over in pain. Screw the damn lantern, she thought. It was going to take everything she had to get back to the camp with the wood…

What felt like hours and more than a handful of contractions later, Sam was standing in front of the cave. She dropped her bag and leaned against a big rock, using the moment to catch her breath and figure out how to tackle the slight incline up to the mouth of the cave. The ground was muddy from the melted snow and her boots were already caked in it. So far, she'd managed to stay upright but those last few feet were going to more difficult. One misstep or slipped boot and she'd roll down all the way, endangering the baby before it was even born!

She moaned through another intense contraction, rubbing her belly with one hand and swaying instinctively. Wishing she'd paid more attention to her sister-in-law's pregnancies or hell, even some stupid fictional pregnancy on a TV show or movie, she resorted to what she'd learned from a lifetime of working out. A long, deep breath in on the count of four, before exhaling on the count of four again. Breathe in deeply, hold it, and exhale slow and steady. And again, and again to ensure she was taking deep and even breaths.

The breathing exercises seemed to help, so she grabbed her bag and determinedly started on the slight incline. Her foot slipped once and she almost dropped the firewood again, but eventually she managed to reach the mouth of the cave. Exhausted, muddy, sweating and in discomfort, but she had reached the campsite!

She felt such relief; tears promptly appeared and slid down her dirty face. The bag fell on the floor as she leaned back against the wall, pushing her belly forward and removing her mittens. She massaged the skin when another contraction hit low in her abdomen, wishing she was back home in a sterilized hospital with pain relief.

God, how was she going to do this on her own?

What the hell was taking Bra'tac and his priestess so long? Sam had no idea how she was supposed to deliver a baby,  _her_  baby. And why was it happening already?

Had Bra'tac miscalculated or was there something wrong with the baby?

Her panic doubled at the thought. "No, no, no," she muttered, shaking her head and sliding down the wall. "You're going to be just fine, baby. You'll be fine. There's nothing wrong with you. Not a thing. You're just a little impatient. Must get that from your daddy," she added, breathlessly as the next contraction hit.

It felt like the contractions were coming faster and lasting longer. She gritted her teeth and changed position, moving on all fours. The pain seemed more bearable now and damn if she wasn't exhausted. She was tempted to lie down but knew that wasn't a good idea, considering what was to come and how cold and dirty the cave floor was. Doing another breathing exercise, she steeled herself before crawling to the burned down fire, dragging the bag with firewood behind her.

"You'll be fine," Sam reiterated, sitting up and caressing her belly. "It'll be all over soon and we'll both be fine."

Getting the campfire started again with the small amount of wood she'd collected proved difficult, but not impossible. It just took forever. By the time the fire flickered to life, five more intense contractions had come and gone and the air smelled like snow – a look out the cave showed it had started snowing again.

At least they were safe from the elements, she thought. Sitting on her knees, she spread her legs a bit and pulled up her clothing. The small fire offered poor illumination but enough for her to see some bloody smudges on her thighs. Not enough to alarm her. They'd only covered the basics of pregnancy, the body's changes and labor in her biology courses and Sam decided some bloody discharge was normal. Hell, she was supposed to push a baby out, so there was bound to be more blood to come.

God, she couldn't believe she hadn't prepared better for this moment. But she had believed Bra'tac when he told her how much time had passed and thought she had another month to go. And if she were honest with herself, she had been far too busy ignoring the fact that the baby had to come out eventually. Escaping had been her main priority, then it was safety and getting rid of Herit… With everything going on, it had been relatively easy to avoid the subject of childbirth.

Sighing, Sam crouched over to a waterskin and, after removing her hand device, used it to wash her hands. The filtered water wasn't sterile but it was the best she could do right now. She turned back to the fire and bit her lip, mentally preparing herself. Another contraction was building and she waited until it had passed, before she shifted and slipped a hand between her legs. She leaned forward on her free hand and put one foot flat on the floor to give herself more room.

Gently, she pushed a finger in her opening and tried to find her cervix. A new contraction hit, accompanied by a burning sensation in her thighs and pelvis, making her whimper. She rode it out, her heart pounding and she felt a flush creep up her neck, but once it was over she continued her exploration and added another finger. Touching her cervix was a strange sensation and Sam was surprised her fingers slipped in easily. Hell, she could fit in more than that… she estimated maybe four or five fingers in total – Holy Hannah, that meant she was halfway there already!

"Oh," she gasped, feeling an amazing, velvety texture. Was that the baby's head? Shocked, she pulled her hand back and examined it in the light of the fire. There was some mucus and traces of blood, but nothing serious.

She couldn't believe she'd just touched her baby's head!

Sam gave herself a moment to process it, before the next contraction made itself known. After taking a gulp of water and washing her hand, she moved back to the wall of the cave. She used the cave to support her back and sat in a squatting position, recalling reading about how women used to give birth while squatting.

The pain of the contractions seemed to lessen a bit, even though their frequency increased. Then again, Sam thought, it was entirely possible she was getting used to them and able to steel herself when she felt one coming on. Or maybe her body's natural way of pain relief – endorphins – had already kicked in.

Still, she said a quick thank you to whoever was listening and leaned her head back against the wall. With both hands on her pregnant belly, she started moving her back from left to right, allowing the stone to ease some of the pain of a starting contraction.

God, what was keeping Bra'tac and his priestess friend for so long?

* * *

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**April 20, 1998**

Jack lay back on the infirmary bed, resting his head on the pillow Cassie had fluffed up for him and watched as the girl started collecting the pieces from their chess game. She was still young and before coming to Earth, had never heard of the game but he'd started teaching her a few months ago and she had talent. "Don't forget my horses," he said, gesturing at where the pieces still lay on his tray.

"They're called knights," Cassie said, chuckling.

"Then why do they look like horses?"

She shrugged and held one up for inspection, smiling. "I don't know. Maybe it is too difficult to add a knight to it?"

Shifting on the bed, he tried to get more comfortable and take the pressure off his injured shoulder. That damned orb's spike had gone straight through. No bleeding or nerve damage, but he was still left with a hole in his shoulder.

Oh and he'd died, apparently.

After Catherine had convinced Hammond and Teal'c to feed the orb energy from the Jaffa's staff weapon, which had gone straight into his body, he'd died. It'd hurt like hell, but he agreed with Catherine in that they had to try something or the alien organisms would consume and destroy Earth. The plan worked and they used him to communicate with the others, who had offered to send the orb to P4G-881. Apparently, he'd been the one to throw it into the wormhole but he had no recollection of any of it and had collapsed shortly thereafter, only to wake up in the infirmary. Three days ago.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Cassie put the chessboard and its pieces away and climbed onto the bed, sitting on his left side. "When do you get to go home?"

"I don't know, munchkin."

She grabbed his hand, mindful of the IV, and started tracing his fingers. "Maybe I can ask mom if you can leave. I could stay with you, make sure you're all right and get you water and stuff. If we leave now, we can still stargaze before bedtime!"

He smiled and upturned his hand, grabbing her fingers with his and giving her a small squeeze. "I'd like that, but I'm afraid that won't be possible. Your mom said I wasn't ready to go home yet this morning and I don't think she'd approve of you being my nurse when you've got school tomorrow."

"But I can do my homework with you."

"No Cass," he said, pulling her into his side. "School comes first. Maybe you can come visit and when I get outta here, we'll go stargazing."

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea, Colonel."

Jack was surprised to see Doctor Fraiser standing in the door opening and wondered how long she'd been eavesdropping on them. "Doc."

"Mom, when can Jack go home?"

Fraiser looked over his chart and shook her head. "Not today, honey. We'll keep an eye on him overnight and then we'll reassess tomorrow."

Cassie's face fell, "Oh. Can I come visit again tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. The reason you were allowed on base today is because of your check-up. You know what goes on here; I don't want you to get caught up here when there's an emergency."

"Your mom's right," Jack said. What if she'd been on base when the orb was here? Not only would her life have been in danger, but she could've heard about his predicament. "It's not safe here for kids."

"But I was fine today!"

Fraiser sighed and came closer, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Because there weren't any missions planned. That's why I decided today was the best day to give you a check-up and monitor the levels of naquadah in your system."

Most of the wiring, pipes and other damages the orb's organisms had done had been repaired the past couple of hours and Jack knew Hammond was ready to start sending out new teams. Three days was a long time to put all the missions on hold, especially with two teams already off-world – they were on the Alpha Site waiting to return home.

"Hey, no pouting, munchkin," Jack said. "I'll be outta here before you know it and in the meantime you've got school, homework, friends and Boomer to keep you occupied."

"Speaking of which," Fraiser said with a glare aimed at him, "you should grab your things Cassandra, because we need to go home before your dog gets lonely and starts attacking the furniture. I'm just going to do a quick check-up of the Colonel and then I'll join you in my office."

Cassie rolled her eyes and turned to hug him. "Get well soon, Jack!"

He kissed the top of her head before releasing her. "I will. You go and take care of Boomer."

"Bye!"

"Bye, Cassie," he said, smiling at her retreating form. "She's a cute kid, Doc."

Fraiser chuckled as she took his vitals. "Got you wrapped around her finger, Colonel."

Jack ignored her comment, knowing he couldn't deny it but refused to confirm it. "So," he said, "when  _can_  I go home?"

"I told you, not today, Sir."

"But  _when_?"

The CMO scribbled something on his chart before looking up at him. "Sir, you were impaled by the orb. It went straight through your shoulder which, by the way, still has a hole in it and will require surgery if it doesn't show signs of improving by tomorrow. Not to mention the orb's organisms infecting you, the high fever and the fact that you were clinically dead for a few minutes. Oh and channeling an alien organism who apparently had access to your knowledge and memories. I think that warrants a few more days in my infirmary."

Jack groaned and dramatically threw his hands up. "But I'm fine! Just a  _tad_  bored and feeling like I'm going nuts in here!"

"Colonel…"

"Aw, come on, Doc. I'm just taking up space. My shoulder will heal on its own. You said it yourself; there's no damage at all, despite that spike going through it. You could give this bed to someone who actually needs it!"

Doctor Fraiser sighed in exasperation as she stood at the foot of his bed. "Colonel, with all due respect, stop being such a baby about this. You're staying here until I say otherwise and if your shoulder doesn't improve, Doctor Warner  _will_  operate."

Jack frowned, hating the prospect of staying there even longer, never mind undergoing surgery. "Fine! But if my shoulder is improving tomorrow then there'll be no surgery."

"We'll see."

"I just…" He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I just really want to get out of here, Doc. The sooner I'm cleared, the sooner Hammond will put SG-1 back on the mission roster and we can go back to searching for Captain Carter."

Fraiser looked at him with sympathy on her face and nodded slowly. "All right," she said, pausing briefly. "Do you really think the Captain is still alive?"

"Teal'c confirmed there were two sets of footprints in the cave from the pictures we took on Cimmeria and only someone from the SGC could know about the Hammer being out of commission. Now, we have no idea how she managed to fix it, but she did somehow and left with her companion."

Jack was convinced Sam was out there somewhere, with no way home. She had no GDO, didn't know of the existence – let alone the address – of the Alpha Site and might be traumatized from whatever the hell those snakes had put her through. She needed help and he was damned if they abandoned her a second time!

"We'll find her, Doc. I just… we need to be out there to find out where she went. She's smart and might have left clues or perhaps she'll send her companion to make contact with us. But-"

"You need to be out there for them to be able to do so," Fraiser finished for him, nodding in understanding. "Well, I hate to point out the obvious, Colonel, but your body needs rest to heal, so I suggest you get to it. I'll be back tomorrow with Doctor Warner to check on you."

"I won't need him," Jack argued stubbornly. "But if you see my team on your way out, could you tell them I'm bored?"

Fraiser chuckled and put his chart back. "Will do, Colonel. See you tomorrow."

* * *

**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam grunted at a particularly strong contraction, her body shaking and shivering while squatting against the wall. It felt like the baby had descended, resulting in pressure all the way down. The contractions were coming fast and strong by now and she knew she'd started bleeding a while back. Reaching out, she grabbed one of the cloths she'd wetted earlier, after vomiting her guts out.

She was still nauseous and felt like she was burning up, despite the cool temperature. Another powerful contraction left her whimpering and changing position, going back on hands and knees. She caught a glimpse of the early morning sky outside the cave and idly wondered how long she'd been at it already. Was it normal to take this long? How much more could she take?

Using the cloth, she wiped her forehead before placing it at the back of her neck. The cool sensation felt heavenly and she found herself wishing she had the energy to get some of the snow from outside. Logically, she knew that probably wasn't a good idea, but damn she was so uncomfortable. Sweat had broken out over her body and she was shaking, unable to find  _the_  position to relieve some of the pain the contractions brought.

After suffering through a few more while doing her breathing exercises, Sam shifted again. She grabbed a waterskin to clean her hands, before contorting her heavily pregnant body in such a way that she could check the dilation of her cervix.

"Finally," she murmured, "I think that's it."

It was difficult to measure but it felt like she was fully dilated after all this time. She could feel her uterus contract and briefly touched the baby's head again, as if it was being pushed towards her. Was this it? Was she supposed to start pushing now?

Sam moaned low and pulled hand back, resting her forehead on her arm on the ground. Where the hell was Bra'tac? Or better yet, the priestess who was supposed to help her with the delivery!

"Okay, Sam," she told herself, "you can do this. Women were doing this long before there were doctors. Or epidurals."

Suppressing the desire for a clean hospital bed, pain killers and adequate medical staff – hell, even the infirmary of a military base would do – Sam pushed herself back up. She could do this. A woman's body was built to carry a child and birth it, so she would just have to listen to her body.

The sun was higher in the sky by the time Sam admitted perhaps listening to her body wasn't as easy as it sounded. It felt like nothing had changed, other than the contractions becoming more powerful yet easier to handle.

She grabbed the waterskin again and gulped down the filtered water, feeling thirsty and restless. As soon as she was hydrated, Sam decided perhaps a different position would work better and crawled back to the wall of the cave. Getting into a squatting position was tricky but once she leaned against the wall and pulled her clothes up, she felt some relief.

Realistically, she knew it was ridiculous to think changing from all fours to squatting would result in a stronger pull of gravity, but it really felt better. The pressure was different and bearing down, which suddenly gave her the urge to push.

"Argh," she grunted, tensing her abdominal and inner muscles. She had to remind herself to think of her breathing and tried to regulate it again. Except this time, it was coming more rapidly and even though she tried, the inhale in four counts and exhale on four again wasn't working.

"Right, listen to my body…"

Sam allowed her breathing to speed up, deep inhales and short exhales, and spread her feet and legs farther apart. When the urge to push came again, she grabbed hold of her knees and pushed with all her might. She gasped when it was over, head falling forward and her body relaxing again.

As time progressed, the urge to push became more frequent. She could feel her inner muscles stretching, followed by an uncomfortable pressure. Reaching down, she felt her perineum bulge on the next push and instinctively knew things would speed up now.

"Oh God, oh god!" After a few more pushes, she could feel the top of the baby's head pushing out. Feeling the proof of her efforts, she became more determined and pushed even harder on the next contractions. As the baby's head came out farther, her inner tissues started burning from being stretched almost beyond their limit.

She tried to breathe through the stinging sensation and declined to push on the next contraction, hoping it would give her body time to accommodate. The following contraction stole her breath away though, and she knew she had to keep going because the baby wanted to get out!

"Christ," she gasped, her hand touching the baby's head. Five more pushes and Sam was gritting her teeth as the baby's head emerged completely. Her belly was preventing her from seeing her baby, but she could feel its face, a little nose and mouth and chin. "Holy Hannah!"

All of a sudden, the baby's head turned and Sam cried out as she felt it move inside of her, before a shoulder popped out on her next push. It hurt like hell, but she was too amazed to let it bother her. After two more contractions, she pushed the other shoulder out, one hand supporting the baby's slick head.

She couldn't believe she was really holding her baby after all this time, after everything they had endured!

With one more push, giving it all she had, the baby slipped out entirely. Its body was slippery and she barely managed to catch it and continue to support the head. For a moment, she had no idea what to do and just froze.

Until the baby started crying, a piercing cry echoing off the walls of the cave.

Sam instinctively lifted the baby, getting her first real glimpse of it and pressed it against her chest. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she cuddled it close. Suddenly, she knew what her brother had meant when he told her about the overwhelming love he felt when he first held his daughter.

"Hush, little one," Sam murmured, gently cradling it with a hand on its small back. When it seemed to have no effect, other than make the baby cry louder, she felt panic take hold of her until she remembered hearing about skin-to-skin contact. She pushed her cloak and neckline of her robes aside and pressed the small baby against her skin, rubbing its back gently with her free hand.

The baby calmed right away, its little fist resting against her chest as it blinked up. Sam just gazed down at the tiny baby with its red face, big blue eyes, pouty lips and mop of dark hair.

She barely had time to marvel over the immediate effect the change had on her baby, before she felt another contraction. It took her a moment to realize the placenta had to come out and that the baby was still attached to it via the umbilical cord.

It took a few minutes and a couple of contractions before she also pushed the placenta out, while trying to keep the baby comfortable against her skin. She felt pure relief that it was over and focused back on the baby, giving it more of her attention.

Cutting the umbilical cord would be difficult without an extra pair of hands, but Sam was pretty sure it had to be disconnected from the baby sooner rather than later. Steeling herself, she clutched the baby tighter and pushed herself up and forward, landing on her knees. The movement hurt but she ignored the pain and, holding the baby to her chest with both hands, she shuffled over to her straw bed on her knees.

Sam gently put the squirming baby down, making sure to support its head, before reaching for her boot and unsheathing her knife. She had no idea how difficult it would be to cut the cord, but knew her knife was sharp. The wiggling baby made it more challenging, though. To her surprise, the knife sliced right through the umbilical cord like it was nothing.

She laid the cord down with the placenta and grabbed the wet cloth she'd discarded earlier to wipe the tiny face clean, paying extra attention to the baby's mouth and nose. "All limbs, fingers and toes are accounted for, my baby… girl," she added. A girl. She had a daughter. A perfectly healthy daughter. A sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed her, tears welling up in her eyes. After everything, her baby was perfect!

"Come here," she said, picking her up just as the baby started crying again. "You must be cold and hungry."

Sam crawled onto straw bed and made herself as comfortable as possible considering she'd just given birth. Cradling her daughter against her skin, she wondered if she had to do anything to get her to breastfeed. She pulled her robe down one shoulder and held the baby to her breast. At first, nothing happened but after a few minutes she started nuzzling it, as if searching for milk. Sam guided her as best she could and it took a couple of painful attempts before the baby latched onto her nipple.

Breastfeeding her daughter felt strange, but it finally gave her the opportunity to admire her without distraction. Sam couldn't quite believe she had made this perfect, tiny human being or the overwhelming love she felt for her daughter. She simply gazed at her as the baby continued feeding. After a while, the pressure in her other breast was becoming unbearable and Sam carefully cradled her daughter in her other arm to switch breasts.

Exhaustion crept over Sam as she leaned back against the wall, her legs stretched out on the bed. Up until now, she hadn't really felt the aches in her leg muscles from squatting for hours on end, but they were finally taking their toll.

Her eyes fell closed and she'd almost dozed off, if the baby hadn't started squirming in her arms. Recalling her sister-in-law with her niece, Sam lifted the baby to her shoulder to let it burp. That's when her gaze fell on the placenta and umbilical cord still lying a few feet away. Could they possibly attract wild animals? It took her a moment to come up with a way to dispose of them, but then grinned as she could finally try out that third possibility of the  _zat'nik'tel_  Bra'tac had given her.

Sam knew she needed to clean herself up and check for any injuries, but she was too tired to care. All that mattered was that her daughter was safely in her arms. Unclasping the furry cape Bra'tac had given her, Sam wrapped it around the baby and got under the pelt covering her bed, daughter lying on her chest.

She startled awake what could have been minutes or hours later, when she sensed someone's presence. Her arms immediately tightened around the baby in a protective gesture before she recognized Bra'tac.

A woman with dark brown hair in braids, a golden version of the black serpent tattoo on her forehead and wearing a fur coat was standing behind him, as if waiting for permission.

"Bra'tac?"

"We arrived too late," he said in an apologetic tone, "you have given birth already."

She chuckled softly at his statement. "Yeah, earlier today. Some help would have been appreciated."

The woman stepped forward. "I apologize, my Lady. I am Shan'auc of the Red Hills and serve in the temple of Apophis on Chulak. I was the cause of Master Bra'tac's delay. But I am here now and with your permission, I will examine the child and you to ensure all is well."

"Um, I don't think so," Sam said, pulling away when the woman reached for the baby. "I don't even know you."

"I give you my word as a warrior that she can be trusted,  _Sām._ "

Shan'auc tried again, approaching cautiously. "With your permission, my Lady?"

After a moment's hesitation, Sam sat up slightly and indicated for her to take her daughter. "I will harm you if you try anything," she added, holding up the  _zat'nik'tel_.

"A mother's instinct to protect her young is strong," Shan'auc said, completely unfazed.

"I did not expect otherwise from her," Bra'tac said, with a rare smile. Stepping closer to the priestess, he leaned over to get a look at the baby. "A female, hm."

Sam straightened up, glaring up at him. "Excuse me?!"

He didn't look the slightest apologetic as he replied, "A male can be raised as a warrior. My presence in the child's life as a mentor would not raise questions."

"Well, she's my daughter and you better accept it. We'll come up with an explanation when we're among other people."

"Other Jaffa."

Sam nodded in affirmation, although she was still reluctant about his plan to start living among other Jaffa throughout the galaxy. It wasn't the kind of future she would have imagined for a child of hers.

"My Lady, the child appears to be well."

Bra'tac must have noticed something about her, because he looked straight at Shan'auc. "Speak, woman."

"I can sense the presence of naquadah in her, Master Bra'tac, but it is not possible for a child newly born to have a  _prim'ta_."

"Hm." He narrowed his eyes and glanced between Sam and the baby, his expression changing to one of surprise as he took a step closer to her. Without saying anything about it, he turned back to the priestess. "You will examine the mother, instruct her on the Jaffa way of child rearing and not speak of this again. To anyone."

Shan'auc inclined her head. " _M tini mer, Tchaas Bra'tac_."


	8. Chapter 8

**Stargate Command**  
**Colorado Springs, CO**  
**May 11, 1998**

Jack had just gotten dressed after a checkup in the infirmary when the klaxons went off. The past couple of days of light duty meant he was aware of all the teams off-world and their scheduled check-ins. No one was due to return or check-in at this time.

He started walking faster and made his way down to the control room, where Catherine sat behind the computer, Hammond standing next to her. "What's going on?"

"Unscheduled off-world activation," she replied. "We're receiving an IDC… it's SG-1's."

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Um, last I checked, we were all here. On base."

"The only other person with an SG-1 remote and the signal that goes with it is…"

"Moac," Jack finished.

"But he's not supposed to use it unless it's an emergency."

Jack shrugged at his CO. "Maybe he's under attack."

"General Hammond?"

Hammond sighed and nodded at Catherine's request. "Open the iris, Doctor."

"Someone get my team in here," Jack said, before dashing off to the gate room. When he entered through the blast doors, the SFs were all anxiously aiming their weapons at the rippling event horizon.

Moac exited the wormhole, stopping at the ramp and taking in his surroundings. He inclined his head when he saw Jack and then looked up at Hammond in the control room. "Hammond of Texas, will you give me leave to enter your compound?"

"You have it, Moac," Hammond said. "Unit, stand down."

Jack stepped closer as the SFs lowered their weapons. "Hello, there. Greetings from Earth and all that. We weren't expecting you, Moac."

"O'Neill, it is good to see you once more."

"I take it this isn't a social call?"

The Jaffa shook his head and walked down the ramp to meet him. He held out his hand in the greeting Jack had seen between Bra'tac and Teal'c, so he responded in kind. "I am the bringer of bad news, my friend."

Jack sighed, even though he'd expected as much. "Let's take this up to Hammond."

"As you wish."

He led the way and wasn't surprised to find Daniel, Teal'c and Kershaw already talking to Hammond in the control room. "Sir?"

"I think we all need to hear this," Hammond said and, gesturing at the spiral staircase, invited them up, "let's go."

The six of them went up to the briefing room.

As soon as they were all seated, the General turned to Moac. "Please, tell us what brought you here, son."

"Apophis has returned to Chulak," Moac said, anxiously.

"Colonel, your report stated clearly that Apophis was killed on board his ship."

Jack nodded in reply to his CO's question. "Yes, it did, sir. We saw the thing blow."

"I placed the C4 myself, Sir, and with that explosion, there's no way anyone could have survived," Kershaw said. "Especially not in space."

"I am told he and Klorel escaped through the on-board Stargate before your explosive devices destroyed the ship."

Daniel jumped in, "They must have used those ring things to get to the gate just after I did."

Jack had been worried about that, ever since he found out how Daniel escaped. On the other hand, he was happy to learn there was still a chance to save Skaara – especially now that Sam supposedly fixed Thor's Hammer. "Klorel, too? What about Herit? You know, the blonde woman."

"The _Tau'ri_ ," Moac said, nodding. "I have heard nothing about her. But Klorel is with Apophis."

"What of Master Bra'tac?"

"I fear not, brother. Nearly all the warriors and serpent guards loyal to Apophis died on the two  _ha'taks_. Apophis returned to Chulak in shame."

Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgment, although the dismay over lack of news on Bra'tac was visible to anyone who knew him. "Apophis must act quickly to reinstate his power, or the system lords will send another Goa'uld to eliminate him and rule in his place."

"Right now, there is a measure of chaos in Chulak. His guard is weakened. If we use this time wisely, we can rescue your family."

"Do you have a family of your own, Moac?" General Hammond asked, kindly.

"I do not. My father was killed long ago, in the Battle of Tazek'Sur, and my mother died shortly before I became  _chal'tii_  to Master Bra'tac," he paused, gazing off into the distance. "I was offered a wife by Apophis many cycles ago as a reward for my services, but I do not wish to bring forth children in slavery."

"A wise choice," Teal'c said.

Jack knew what he meant. In Jaffa culture, a man was supposed to be a strong warrior to provide for and protect his family. Teal'c, however, had been forced to abandon them, when he saved the lives of Jack and his team that day on Chulak.

Then the Jaffa had almost lost his son to some kind of scarlet fever and been forced to give him his symbiote, the very thing SG-1 had tried to prevent by going to Chulak the second time. Drey'auc and Rya'c had been forced to live as outcasts, but Master Bra'tac had promised to take care of them… of course, there was a good chance Bra'tac died when they blew up the  _ha'taks_.

A warrior like Moac, young and working on starting a rebellion among the Jaffa, couldn't afford to have a family. It would give the Goa'uld too much leverage if they ever found out about his true intentions. Jack briefly wondered if that was why Bra'tac didn't have kids – as far as he and Teal'c knew – considering his belief of false gods.

"What is it you are proposing, Moac?" General Hammond asked, interrupting Jack's thoughts.

"Teal'c and I can return to Chulak to retrieve his wife and son, before Apophis realizes what has occurred. If the Goa'uld find them first, they might try to use them against Teal'c."

"Like a trap, you mean?" Kershaw asked, frowning.

Teal'c briefly exchanged glances with Jack, as if to ask permission. "It is not below Apophis or any Goa'uld to use children as bait. I do not wish this for my son or my wife. With your permission," he turned to Hammond, "I will join Moac and travel to Chulak to locate my family."

"What if it  _is_  a trap?"

"Don't you think Apophis might be too busy nursing his pride and rebuilding his army before going after Teal'c's family, Sir? Besides, Moac here saved our asses aboard those motherships. We can trust him," Jack said, although he recognized his CO playing devil's advocate. The man was good at it.

Moac inclined his head, a small smile on his face. "And you saved mine in return by finding a means of escape. For this, I am grateful and I will never betray the  _Tau'ri_ , who have started a rebellion against the false gods."

The corners of Teal'c's mouth curled up in approval. "Together, we must continue Master Bra'tac's legacy, brother."

"First things first," Hammond said, smiling. "We need to retrieve Teal'c's family."

"Hammond of Texas, I wish no disrespect, but perhaps it would be best if only Teal'c and I went to Chulak. Together, we can move faster and conceal ourselves among the Jaffa."

Jack trusted Moac, he really did, but he still didn't like the idea of Teal'c going back with only him as backup. "Now, wait a minute-"

"I concur with Moac, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "We must search the  _kresh'taa_  camps for my family and the Jaffa there, while weak, will still recognize the lack of a symbiote and identify you as  _Tau'ri_. We cannot predict what they might do if Apophis has put a price on your heads."

"What about a price on  _your_  head?" Daniel asked. "We can't let you go alone, Teal'c."

"I'll go."

General Hammond beat Jack to it when he expressed his surprise, "Lieutenant?"

Kershaw shrugged and gestured at the two Jaffa. "Oh come on, guys. You need backup and the others won't be as suspicious of me, a woman. Even if they realize I'm not a Jaffa, I doubt they'd see me as a threat."

"A slave perhaps," Moac said, with approval. "Very well. Lieutenant Kershaw, Teal'c and I will return to Chulak to retrieve Teal'c's family. I have already located the  _kresh'taa_  camp they were last sighted in, brother."

Jack looked at Kershaw and could tell she was serious about this. He knew she and Teal'c had developed a deeper friendship and appreciation after their trip to Antarctica and her confidence as a soldier had grown since they'd all saved Earth from the Goa'uld. She'd been training more with Teal'c and also with Makepeace in the gym; there was no doubt about her physical condition. If the two Jaffa were comfortable with her as backup, then why shouldn't he? "It's fine with me, Sir. Just… don't get yourself killed, Kershaw. I'd hate to have to break in a new 2IC."

"I'll do my best, Sir," she said, with a cheeky grin.

"Very well," Hammond said, "Lieutenant Kershaw will accompany Teal'c and Moac to Chulak. Jack, you and Moac check in with Harriman for a departure time and to get Moac a new IDC. Teal'c, Lieutenant, gear up. Dismissed."

Jack watched as Daniel took off with Teal'c and Kershaw, before he took Moac to see Walter. After they wrapped up there, Jack took Moac with him to the commissary. There weren't many people around, the night shift having just started. But the dozen or so folks in the commissary who recognized him from a few months ago came up to greet him and a few others wanted to thank him for his help in saving Earth and SG-1. The Jaffa looked honestly perplexed but took it in his stride and eventually joined Jack at the table in the back.

"Your people are most welcoming, O'Neill."

"What can I say? They're very fond of their planet," he said, shoving a plate stacked with fruit – not unlike the lunches Teal'c ate – over to Moac. "Dig in."

The Jaffa didn't need to be told twice, quite happily attacking the mountain of fruit. "These are some exquisite fruits," Moac said, in between bites. "Do you not need sustenance yourself?"

"Oh, I ate already. I figured if all Jaffa are like Teal'c, you'd like a snack."

"Indeed."

Jack smirked and gave him the time to clear his plate, before broaching the subject that had been on the tip of his tongue ever since Moac appeared. "Look, I know you said you hadn't heard anything about Herit or Sam off-world, but we have good reasons to believe she escaped the mothership before it blew up."

"Considering the reappearance of Klorel and Apophis, I would not be surprised. She was, however, not seen with them as I told you before."

"I suspect she left before they did. Maybe even way before we did."

Moac nodded slowly, a pensive look on his face. He was far more expressive than Teal'c, which was a nice change considering their many similarities in personality. "It is possible she left through the  _chaapa'ai_. Under normal circumstances, it will be made inactive by placing the  _n_ _u techet her ta'ami_  inside of it. But it must have already been removed for Apophis and Klorel to make their hasty retreat. Herit, as Klorel's mate and lieutenant of Apophis, has the authority to do so."

Jack placed his elbows on the table and leaned in a bit. "Remember Daniel? He said the stargate was unguarded and without that orb-thing in it when he used it to escape."

"Yes," he said, looking surprised, "he informed me as such when we arrived here from your shuttle. I had not thought of its importance before now."

"So, you agree that she must have gone through it before anyone else did?"

"There was no  _chaapa'ai_  aboard Apophis'  _ha'tak_ , of this I am certain. He and Klorel must have used the  _ā_ _nut ar shenu_  to travel to Klorel's vessel and use the  _chaapa'ai_  to flee. For them to do so, would require time and it would be nigh impossible for them to do it prior to Daniel Jackson. That leaves only Herit with the ability to remove the  _n_ _u techet her ta'ami_. But what are your other reasons to believe she managed to leave in time, O'Neill?"

Jack hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell him. But this was Moac. The guy had saved their lives and helped destroy the two motherships. He'd trust him with his life, much the same as Teal'c had instantly won his trust by his actions back when they first met. "You ever hear of Cimmeria? The planet with the hammer symbol."

"All Jaffa know of it. We are forbidden to go there because of something that has transpired on Cimmeria that no Goa'uld speaks of."

"And you never thought that was… well, strange? You know, with them claiming to be Gods and everything, yet apparently being afraid of some planet."

Moac rubbed his chin in a very human-like gesture. "I had not given it much thought until now. Not even Master Bra'tac has gone there, as far as I'm aware."

Jack suppressed an eye-roll. Sometimes, he was really surprised by the lack of action the Jaffa took. Teal'c had been worried about going there too the first time, even though he didn't voice it. But apparently he, nor Moac or Bra'tac, ever thought to investigate what it was that terrified the Goa'uld. "Well, that's okay. We went there a year ago and found this, um, device. Thor's Hammer. It's like a de-Goa'ulding device made by the Asgard. If a Jaffa or Goa'uld exits the stargate on Cimmeria, they're transported to a cave with this Hammer. There is an exit but to get there, you have to go through the Hammer. It kills a symbiote when a Jaffa or Goa'uld is in it. In the case of a Goa'uld, the host can then leave."

"How have you gained this knowledge, O'Neill? A Jaffa like Teal'c would be unable to leave and humans will not be transported to the cave, as you explained."

"Well, um, Teal'c and I got trapped there. Long story short, T nearly lost Junior. Daniel got the exit open from the outside and had to destroy the Hammer with Teal'c's staff weapon."

"That is most unfortunate."

Jack could tell Moac was truly disappointed by the news, which made him curious. It wasn't like a Jaffa could use it… "Yeah, it was. But a little over a month ago, we went back to Cimmeria and the Hammer was back in working order. Now hear me out before you tell me the Asgard did it. There were footprints in the cave. Two sets. About human-sized. And the exit, which it had been sealed off after we thought we destroyed the Hammer, had been broken open from the inside."

"And the Asgard would not require to force the exit open," Moac supplied, nodding in understanding.

"Yeah and no random Goa'uld or Jaffa would fix that Hammer if they'd even been foolish enough to go there. However, Sam knew about Cimmeria and Thor's Hammer from her time here. She knew it was broken and her specialty is technology. We think she's the one who fixed it and then went through it."

Moac's eyes lit up with delight, a soft smile on his face. "Master Bra'tac could have assisted her."

"That's what I was thinking too," Jack said, slowly. He and Teal'c hadn't really discussed it yet, because he didn't want to get his friend's hopes up but he knew T suspected the same thing. "The last we saw of Bra'tac was on that mothership when he went after Sam. Uh, Herit."

"I did not share this with you before because I thought it was of no importance, but there was something curious about how Master Bra'tac treated your friend while in captivity. Before she was implanted with Herit she was being held prisoner aboard Master Bra'tac's harvesting vessel. Never before had I witnessed him treating a prisoner as such. Unlike previous humans, he thought of her as something foreign and curious. He granted me permission to give her water and sustenance early on, which was unusual in itself. It was as if he wanted to take care of her, to learn more about her and satisfy his curiosity."

Jack was stunned into silence for a moment at the information. After discovering Sam had been snaked, he never gave her time between her mission and that snaking more thought. Anger rose up inside of him at learning Bra'tac had kept her captive all that time. How long? What had she been put through before going through hell by getting that snake? He pushed the anger and questions back into a corner of his mind, trying to obtain more information. "You were there?"

"I was assigned to the harvesting vessel," Moac confirmed. His expression changed to one of sympathy and he sighed. "I understand this must be difficult for you, O'Neill."

"No, no," he shook his head, trying to dismiss it, "it's fine. Just a bit of a shock. So, you think Bra'tac could have been with her on Cimmeria?"

The Jaffa inclined his head. "Indeed. He is the only one I believe would accompany her, especially on such a mission."

"There's this woman on Cimmeria, her name's Kendra. She used to be host to a Goa'uld as well and she told us, the first time we got there, that she managed to convince her Goa'uld to go there. Sam must have done the same. Somehow, Bra'tac must have known or something."

"I believe you may very well be correct, my friend. Not long ago, I heard an unverified report of a Jaffa warrior with a golden serpent tattoo visiting a temple on Chulak. I did not heed it, assuming the  _kresh'taa_  who reported it had imagined it. Or perhaps mistaken a high priestess' golden tattoo for one of a First Prime. Initially, I even thought of Teal'c but his family was in a different part of Chulak and thus he would have no reason to visit there. It would have been too dangerous. Perhaps it was Master Bra'tac instead."

Jack frowned, not a fan of rumors but it wasn't like he had a lot to go on these days. "Why'd he be at a temple?"

"I do not know. Perhaps he or your friend is injured. He could have gone there for information, too. The priests and priestesses are very knowledgeable and often witness important events and ceremonies from the Goa'uld. It might be he suspected Apophis and Klorel lived and went there to find someone to verify it."

Scrubbing his face with his hands, Jack let out a groan of frustration. Moac had given him a lot of new information but they were still no closer to finding Sam – and Bra'tac. "Look, we need to find her, Moac. She has a family who thinks she's dead. But if she's managed to get rid of Herit… damn. We need her back. And we need your help to do it."

"I will do what I can, O'Neill. However, I'm not sure how I can be of any assistance. Now that Apophis and Klorel have returned, my place is on Chulak. From there, I can feed the rebellion Master Bra'tac and Teal'c have started."

"And what better way to help grow your rebellion by showing them a former host?" Jack said, raising his brow. "Kendra won't play ball, but I know she can still use the technology only the Goa'uld can use. It should be the same for Sam. If you help us find her, she and Master Bra'tac can show all the Jaffa that the Goa'uld lie and are nothing more than parasites who need humans and Jaffa to stay in power and survive."

"It would help the rebellion tremendously. But first, we must retrieve Teal'c's wife and son."

Jack nodded and got up from his chair. "Yeah, you've got about half an hour left. In the meantime, I'd like you to sit with Daniel and Doctor Langford to discuss what Bra'tac could be up to. Sam had never been off-world before that first mission, so she has no experience with gate travel and Jaffa and whatnot. So, I'm guessing Bra'tac is in charge of whatever they're up to. You and Teal'c know him best and I need you two to give us all the planets he could go to and whatever else can be useful."

Moac rose as well and inclined his head in that regal way all Jaffa seemed to have. "I am most eager to assist, my friend."

* * *

**Unknown Planet**  
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam gritted her teeth as the baby started crying again and glanced over her shoulder to make sure it was just a cry for attention. Or something. She still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it and she was pretty sure her daughter knew. The baby had been fed, burped, cuddled, and changed after sleeping for hours on end… yet she still cried. It was frustrating to feel so useless and incapable.

"Your offspring requires attention,  _Sām_ ," Bra'tac said unhelpfully.

She stopped scrubbing her dress for a moment and sighed, pushing back her bangs with her wrist before glaring at him. "Feel free to give her some attention. Pick her up, hold her,  _sing_  to her for all I care! Just… make her stop crying, please."

He looked at her as if he wanted to reprimand her for raising her voice, but let it go and instead focused on the screaming baby. Kneeling down, he reached out and placed a hand on the mop of dark hair and his other on her tummy.  _"_ _Ȧkh'rek, sefi?"_

Sam let out a sigh of relief as he started whispering to the baby, calming it down. Her nerves were frazzled from sleepless nights and trying to cope with a helpless infant when she knew nothing about being a mother. Shan'auc had stayed with them for a couple of nights, helping out when needed but mostly informing and advising Sam about how to raise her daughter – what was expected of her, once they were among other Jaffa. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tall and with pale skin, Sam already attracted attention, especially when accompanied by a Jaffa with a First Prime serpent tattoo. Having an infant with even bluer eyes with her would only make it worse. In particular if she appeared as clueless to them as she felt when it came to caring for her daughter.

God, never once had she thought she'd be wishing for cutesy onesies, diapers and formula. She was light-years from her home but those were far more on her mind than her longing for home. But rather than having a fully-equipped baby room, she had a few weapons, a healing device and one bag with all her possessions: a shift, dress, pelt, mittens, leather boots and a furry cape. Plus the sandals, Jaffa version of a bra, and shift she wore. And the dress she'd been wearing before her daughter peed all over it.

" _Sām_."

She continued scrubbing the dress, trying to get the pee out of it. According to Shan'auc, the Jaffa believed they could 'potty' train infants from birth by using whistling as a form of communication whenever a baby could pee.

Sam had never been very good at whistling.

The past couple of weeks her skill hadn't improved. Instead, her daughter constantly peed and pooped on her. She didn't know if it was her bad whistling skills or maybe she just didn't have the Jaffa intuition that apparently let a mother know when her child needed to urinate. Either way, she couldn't keep doing it. Not with only two dresses. The planet they were on at the moment had hot afternoons and even overnight her clothing could dry, but Bra'tac wanted to move again today and there was no guarantee the weather would cooperate on their new destination.

" _Sām."_

Finally realizing Bra'tac was trying to get her attention, she turned around and saw him sitting cross-legged on the ground cradling her daughter. The baby looked tiny in his arms. "She stopped crying," she said, relieved. "Thank you."

"The child needs its mother."

"I need to wash this first," Sam said, returning to her task.

Bra'tac easily got to his feet and walked over to her. " _Fa_   _sefi_.  _Makke_ _maāmaā_   _sham'_."

"But-"

" _Sām_   _ȧā,_ " he said, brooking no arguments. "And the child, too."

Releasing her hold on the dirty dress, she stood up and moved to take her squirming daughter from his arms. "Hush, little one," she said when the baby started crying again. Big blue eyes blinked up at Sam as she settled in the crook of her arm, cheek resting against her breast.

Sam caught the girl's tiny fist as she waved her arm and pressed a kiss to the littlest fingers she'd ever seen. Looking over to where Bra'tac was now kneeling, washing her dirty clothes – doing what he often referred to as a woman's task – and facing away from her, she turned her back to him and untied her shift, letting it pool to the ground. Taking off the Jaffa version of a bra Shan'auc had given her proved more difficult with an infant in her arms, but she managed eventually and waded into the water to bathe herself and her daughter.

"You know," Sam said, using her hand to cup water to wash the sand from the baby's hair, "it would probably be a lot easier if you'd let me name her already. At least then you wouldn't have to call her 'the child' all the time."

"Hm," Bra'tac huffed in reply, without looking up. "It is not the Jaffa way."

"I am not Jaffa," she said. "Nor is my daughter."

"If we wish to conceal ourselves within a Jaffa community, we shall live as Jaffa."

Sam took a few more steps, until the water was level with her waist, and smiled when the baby crowed in response to the water she cautiously scooped on her tummy. Gently, she started washing her daughter. "I don't think I'm a very convincing Jaffa. Maybe we could go somewhere else, live among humans instead. That way, we won't be at risk of anyone realizing I have more naquadah in my body than a Jaffa should or that my daughter has it in her system as well."

"That is impossible,  _Sām._ Most humans are under Goa'uld control. If Apophis and Klorel survived, they will search human populations first. The System Lords will undertake similar action in their own domains. Humans fear Goa'uld and Jaffa. They will recognize my serpent tattoo. If word of my heresy has spread, they will not hesitate to alert their God about our presence."

She turned back to him, not surprised he was still turned away from her. He always tried to give her as much privacy as possible when bathing. It was… sweet and considerate. "Can we cover up your tattoo or remove it?"

"The skin is cut with an  _orak_  knife and pure molten gold is then poured into the wound to create a First Prime's tattoo."

She grimaced at the imagery and took his answer as a no. Covering it up might be an option, but the way he moved, spoke and held himself betrayed him as a Jaffa – and a warrior.

"You would rather go back to the  _Tau'ri_ , hm?"

Surprised by the change in subject, Sam made eye contact with him. He was giving her that look again, the one she'd seen many times aboard Klorel's ship and made her feel like he was gauging her. "Honestly? I don't know," she said. Of course she wanted to go home. Go back to how things were before she ever set foot through the gate.

"But you do,  _Sām_."

"It's not that simple."

He nodded slowly, dark eyes shining with understanding. "Because your own kind betrayed you."

"Just my CO." She had no idea why she said that, it wasn't as if she had proof her teammates weren't in on it. Maybe she didn't want him to think badly of all Earthlings. Not that it mattered either way. She  _couldn't_  go home.

"You are certain he was responsible, but what of accomplices?"

"I don't know. I guess that's a possibility."

Bra'tac's lips curled up and he shook his head. "You have considered this already,  _Sām_."

She had. Many times over. Why would Grieves have wanted to steal that alien protective device? It wasn't as if he could just hand it over to the science department for research, especially not if he'd told everyone  _she_  had tried to steal it. Or could he? No, she refused to believe the SGC or General Hammond really, had approved of his actions. Certainly not when the General had gone out of his way to get her temporarily reassigned to an SG team.

"They left you on that planet," he reminded her, "for the animals to feed on."

Suppressing a shudder at the image he painted, she swallowed hard. "Maybe."

"My  _thesu_  thought you had perished already when he discovered you in the forest."

Sam could only imagine what she'd looked like to his right hand man. If only the guy had moved on and left her there… "I know, I know."

"And the  _Tau'ri chaapa'ai_  has a shield to protect it from intruders. Without a  _Tau'ri_  wrist device, you cannot circumvent it, hm?"

"No, I can't. Not yet anyway. Maybe I could build something from alien materials to act as a GDO or at least find a way to communicate with the SGC."

Bra'tac returned to scrubbing her dress. "That will take time."

"So, we're going back to live among Jaffa," she concluded, sadly looking down upon her child. That was not an environment in which she wanted to raise her. Hell, could she even keep her safe? "Didn't you say that infant mortality is high among Jaffa? Maybe going to a  _kresh'taa_  camp isn't a good idea. It's not safe. She could get sick in those living conditions or catch something from outcast Jaffa in poor health."

"Life is hard in the camps," Bra'tac admitted, "and many fall ill, especially the children. Most will also not be granted a  _prim'ta_  when they become of age because they are  _kresh'taa_."

"If they even reach puberty," Sam finished. She knew. She vaguely remembered something similar from SG-1's reports about the Jaffa Teal'c's story. It made sense that the children were in poor health, the young ones even more so; Shan'auc had told her Jaffa women breastfed their children from infancy to their fifth year, but if Jaffa had no immune system of their own then the mothers couldn't pass on any immunity to their infants. That made the babies vulnerable in their first half year of life. That much she could recall from her biology classes.

He nodded and moved the dress he'd scrubbed clean to a nearby rock, to let it dry in the sun. "You can name the child when she can lift her head on her own," he said. "But no  _Tau'ri_  name."

Sam nodded slowly, looking down at her pouting daughter. Big blue eyes stared back from the sweetest face she'd ever seen. The instant and overwhelming love she felt still surprised her, but she couldn't help but be in awe of the tiny human in her arms. So small, beautiful and perfect. Very loud at times, too, and so dependent and trusting.

"Do you have a name in mind,  _Sām_?"

"Not yet." In truth, she had no idea what to call her daughter. She'd momentarily entertained the thought of naming her after her own mother, something she'd expected her brother to do when his daughter was born. But Mark hadn't, although it was possible he'd had another girl since Sam had left the SGC, since his wife had been pregnant at the time… The memory of her brother and his family made her pause for a while; Lauren must have given birth months ago and Sam wondered how she, Mark and Amy were adjusting to life with the little one. Did her father know? Had he gotten back in touch with Mark after learning of Sam's fate? She shook herself and tried to focus on the situation at hand. There was no use in wondering about what was going on back home. She was here, they were on Earth. They probably all thought she was dead anyway.

Her mother's name would be too  _Tau'ri_  and thus not an option, Sam thought. She figured anything with more than two syllables would sound too  _Tau'ri_  for Bra'tac, though.

"You may think on it more, for the next two  _ȧbṭ_."

Sam nodded just as her daughter started crying again. "I will. I'm not too familiar with alien names, but I should be able to come up with something within the next two months." Perhaps a compromise between an Earth name and something Jaffa-like, she thought.

"In the meantime, we shall decide what our next destination will be."

"I don't think I'm ready yet to be among others," she said, as she tried to quiet her daughter.

"Perhaps we can return to one of our previous camps," Bra'tac suggested.

It took her a few minutes of shushing and dandling before the baby's cries diminished and the little girl started searching for her nipple. Sighing with relief, Sam helped her latch onto it and nursed her. Soon, she could finish bathing herself and then they would hike back to the stargate. That would give her clothes enough time to dry and not delay them any further. Despite the lack of any recent threats or news about the Goa'uld, she and Bra'tac remained vigilant and couldn't stay in one place too long.

No one but Shan'auc knew about the baby so far and while Bra'tac trusted the Jaffa priestess, Sam trusted no one aside from herself and Bra'tac. And Shan'auc, well, she had gone back to Chulak, which was pretty much the headquarters of Apophis and Klorel when they weren't on their  _ha'taks_. If the two Goa'uld had survived the attack on their motherships, then there was always the chance that the priestess was a spy or had been tortured into informing them about Sam and the baby. The baby who also had naquadah in its blood.

"I will search the vegetation around the lake for fruits and nuts while you finish bathing."

"I thought we had enough to last us a while," Sam said, automatically glancing at the packed bag with provisions near him.

"Indeed," Bra'tac said. "We should have a light meal before we leave and fresh food for underway."

She nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to her nursing daughter. "Fine, fine. We'll be done by the time you get back."

"Very well."


	9. Chapter 9

**Capitol Building**   
**Washington, DC.**   
**June 5, 1998**

Jack grimaced as he made his way back to where he'd left Kershaw and nodded politely to all the brass and government officials he came across. He hated these official functions where he had to schmooze with the so-called important folks. He'd rather face a horde of angry Jaffa, or hell even a couple of Goa'uld. The field – be that on Earth or some backwater planet – was where he belonged, not Air Force functions.

Kershaw was talking to Hammond and some other people, he noticed as he got closer. The General had already been working the room when Jack had left to get him and his 2IC some punch, so he wasn't surprised to see him mingle. Kershaw was motivated and bright enough to join Hammond and maybe do some networking.

That was probably what he should be doing too, Jack thought. God, how he hated it. He'd even tried to get out of it, asking Hammond if he couldn't join Daniel and Teal'c while they went to Abydos. Unfortunately, his CO didn't fall for that. Receiving the Air Medal was a high honor, especially when the President himself awarded it, but Jack really didn't need the praise for saving Earth. Aside from the obvious reason why he'd done it, there were the damn distasteful choices he'd been forced to make that still didn't sit well with him.

Killing Skaara.

Abandoning Sam.

Hell, even leaving Daniel behind when he was dying in the corridor of Klorel's ship. Daniel had survived and didn't blame him because at the time they both thought they'd die out there anyway, but that didn't take away the guilt Jack felt.

But hey, the President wanted to give him an Air Medal for heroism for it. So, he had to suck it up, receive the damn medal and be grateful for it.

At least Kershaw was excited about receiving her own Air Medal. A well-deserved one, considering her actions aboard those Goa'uld motherships. She'd volunteered to go on the mission, did what was asked of her with the C4 and Daniel, and carried herself well. She had nothing to feel guilty about.

"Jack," General Hammond said, beckoning him over. "Join us."

He nodded politely and took the last few steps to join their little circle, handing Kershaw her punch with a "Lieutenant".

"Thank you, Colonel," Kershaw said.

"You remember General Carter, Jack," Hammond said, gesturing at the man standing next to him.

Sam's dad.

"Of course," he said, shaking Jacob Carter's hand. "I wasn't expecting you to be here, Sir. Didn't you say they hardly let you leave the Pentagon?"

General Carter grinned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I figured my paperwork could wait until tomorrow."

"Are you here for anyone in particular?"

"For you, of course."

Jack chuckled softly, until he saw the expressions on the faces of both generals and realized Jacob Carter wasn't joking. "Oh. I had no idea, Sir."

"When I saw your name on the list of recipients tonight, I made some inquiries and learned you and your 2IC were both being awarded the Air Medal for heroism."

"Yes, Sir," Jack and Kershaw said simultaneously.

"For your work in deep space radar telemetry," General Carter stated, glancing at Hammond.

Jack also exchanged quick glances with his CO before turning back to the other two star and gave his best grin. "We have our moments."

"I can only imagine."

"We appreciate it you attending the ceremony, Jake," Hammond said.

General Carter nodded slowly, but his eyes didn't leave Jack's. It was almost as if the man was trying to read his mind. "George and I served together back when the Air Force really was this country's first line of defense."

"Last I checked, it still is. Sir," Jack added belatedly.

"Of course, it is. I was talking about when the Cold War was still, uh…Anyway," Jacob Carter cleared his throat, but suddenly started coughing. The fit lasted a few seconds during which he waved away Hammond's help and a glass of water. "Sorry about that," he said, grimacing. "Where was I? Oh right, when I heard George was going to be here as well, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to see you both."

Jack had suspected the man had ulterior motives for showing up and that just confirmed it. Hammond might be his friend, but Jack didn't really know the guy. They'd only met at Sam's funeral and had that dinner with Catherine, Daniel and Hammond afterwards, so why would General Carter change his schedule to attend a medal ceremony for Jack? It had to have something to do with Sam and the circumstances surrounding her 'death'. "Really? Well, we really appreciate it, like General Hammond said."

"It's proven quite a challenge to get a hold of either of you," General Carter continued, as if Jack hadn't said anything. "Seems you don't get out of Cheyenne Mountain enough, yet are never available when I call."

"I like to keep busy, Sir. There's never a dull moment in deep space radar telemetry. It's just so damn fascinating."

Jacob narrowed his eyes, lips a thin line. "Generals are busy, Colonel."

"I don't doubt it, Sir."

"Jacob…"

General Carter held up his hand when Hammond spoke, but didn't look away. "You were present for my daughter's funeral, Colonel O'Neill, and claimed to know her, but you can't make time for me?"

Hammond glared at Jack, cutting him off before he could say anything. "Jacob, Colonel O'Neill wasn't Sam's commanding officer-"

"I know, but for some reason Colonel Grieves  _wasn't_  present to bury my little girl's empty casket, George. O'Neill  _was_."

"That was my call, Jake."

"Was Grieves' mysterious transfer to Utah six months ago your call, too?"

Jack exchanged glances with Kershaw, who looked as uncomfortable as he felt. "Look, um, General Carter, I'm sorry about what happened to Sam, but I don't have the answers you're looking for," he said, lying through his teeth. "And Lieutenant Kershaw and I should go now, if you'll excuse us, Sirs. Get prepped and all that for our big moment with the President."

"Of course, Colonel, Lieutenant. We'll see you later." Hammond had already stepped closer to General Carter and probably wanted to get him the hell out of there before he'd cause a scene. "Jake, come with me so we can talk privately."

Jack didn't say anything as the two major generals walked off, not even when Jacob Carter threw him a final glare. He just felt for the man. Losing a child was enough to break a parent, as he was all too aware. But the circumstances surrounding Sam's 'death' made it even worse, especially when her father knew something was off about the cover story. And if General Carter didn't have any contact with his son, it was probably even harder on him to lose his daughter. He looked even thinner and older – more worn out – than he had at the military service for Sam.

"Colonel?"

"Oh, right. Let's go, Lieutenant."

* * *

**Marketplace**   
**Corak**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

The two suns Corak orbited were high in the sky, raising the temperature to at least ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit in Sam's estimation. There was barely any shelter on the marketplace, aside from the few stalls that had awnings to protect their goods or the women selling the items. The stalls were close together, with maybe a six-feet wide path between one side of the road and the other. But there were so many people – dozens, maybe even over a hundred – crowding the small spaces that she was constantly brushing against other Jaffa or humans. One or two had nearly knocked her over, but she and the baby hadn't gotten hurt.

On his last trip to a market, Bra'tac had brought back a sling of some sort, which allowed Sam to strap the baby to her body, hidden under her robes. The skin-on-skin contact seemed to have a calming or reassuring effect on her daughter, who'd been pretty laidback the past two weeks. Sam brought up a hand to rest on her little girl's back, where she was dozing against Sam's chest, cheek pressed to the swell of her breast. Concealing her this way made Sam feel more self-assured when they were around others. The few times someone caught a glimpse of the baby's head, it was usually the mop of dark brown hair or her profile while asleep.

The first time they'd gone to a populated world and moved among other Jaffa with a serpent tattoo after the baby was born, a woman had caught sight of the big blue eyes and drawn everyone's attention to it. Sam had tried to get away as fast as possible, as more outcasts had gathered around her to catch a glimpse of the baby and the excitement had only gotten worse when her own scarf had slipped and everyone saw her blonde hair. She'd started shaking like a leaf as everyone started pawing them with no way out, forcing Bra'tac to step in. He used his staff weapon to make them a path through the crowd, slapping away the greedy hands who tried to touch Sam and the baby. Her heart had been in her throat as she folded herself around her daughter to protect her. The fear Sam experienced over her child's safety in that moment, had been worse than what she'd endured during her time with Klorel and even just the memory of it made her sick to her stomach. If it hadn't been for Bra'tac who'd pulled them to safety, then she might not have been able to escape the shouting crowd…

That was the last time Sam went out with her daughter merely wrapped in a blanket. Since then, she had worked on securing her own scarf, to hide her long blonde hair, and Bra'tac had gotten her the sling for the baby.

But three days ago, Bra'tac left for Chulak, to retrieve some things he apparently could only get there as well as to check on Drey'auc and her son as he'd promised to Drey'auc's husband and see if there was any news about Apophis or Klorel.

Sam was left in the camp of outcasts on Corak. Bra'tac had told her to stay put, to hide out in their makeshift tent with her baby. She wasn't supposed to leave the camp, never mind visit the marketplace. But she needed new sandals and had run out of chew twigs – the off-world version of toothbrushes – two days ago and she didn't expect Bra'tac to return before the day after tomorrow at its earliest.

Yesterday, she'd gone to see the sandal-maker with whom she'd negotiated a price for a pair of hand-made sandals. It would only cost her a hideous necklace and gaudy ring that Klorel had made for Herit, so she wasn't sad to trade them in for some proper footwear. Bra'tac had gotten her current pair of sandals from somewhere, but they never fit properly – especially not when her feet swelled up during pregnancy – and the soles were worn, and she'd already replaced several straps with inferior material to keep them on her feet. They didn't offer much protection anymore. And on planets like these, her boots were inappropriate and way too hot.

The new sandals were supposed to be ready today, but she couldn't find the stall. She'd only detoured to get the chew sticks but was pretty sure the sandal-maker wasn't in the same spot as he'd been the day before. Feeling the baby starting to move restlessly against her, Sam knew she had to hurry up and stepped up to one of the other stalls. " _Kel thebu_?"

The merchant frowned as if displeased, but leaned out of her stall and gestured to the right. " _Ṭ_ _i_."

Sam had long ago learned there was no word in Goa'uld or Jaffa dialect for thank you, so she simply nodded and headed in that direction, one hand on her daughter's back. Hopefully, the baby wouldn't start crying, attracting unwanted attention and forcing Sam to reveal her child to all the humans and Jaffa on the marketplace. Especially the Jaffa were risky, considering they could, theoretically, sense the naquadah in both her and her daughter's blood.

The sandal-maker barely gave her a second glance when she reached the stall, until she stepped closer and the man – an old Jaffa, with grey hair and a frail body – gave her a onceover. Jaffa in general were often surprised by her height, but she didn't see the recognition dawn on the old man's face until he saw her blue eyes. " _Ȧr'ti Khesbet_ ," he said, with a nod of his head. He turned around and rummaged about before he showed her a pair of handmade open-toed sandals, as requested. " _Tai'ten ukha'tȧ_."

Sam retrieved the jewelry from her robe's pocket, handing him the ring and gesturing for him to hand over the sandals. He narrowed his eyes at her but acquiesced and allowed her to sit down on a small stool to try them on. They fit like a glove and she could immediately feel the difference in quality when she stood, the soles giving much more support to her sore feet. " _Men_ ," she complimented with a small smile.

The merchant beamed at her and gladly took the necklace from her. After admiring it in the sunlight, he muttered something in the dialect which she roughly translated as a pleasure of doing business before saying his farewell. " _Tal'ma'te_."

" _Lek tol_." With that, Sam turned on her heel and quickly made her way back to the camp, hoping to get there in time before her daughter started crying. She seemed to be hungrier than ever, wanting to be fed on what Sam estimated was an hourly basis, which probably explained why the baby had been getting bigger lately. And heavier, she thought, as she tried to stealthily shift the little girl's weight.

She'd only barely reached the edge of the  _kresh'taa_  camp when the baby started crying. Sam tried to hush her as she quickly went over to her shelter, hoping people would mind their own business and leave her be. By the time she ducked into the tent, her daughter was wailing and squirming in her sling.

"Hush, little one." She kept murmuring to the child, rubbing its back with one hand while trying to undo her robe with the other. Shan'auc had helped her modify the robe, to allow easy access for breastfeeding. The knot at her neck untied easily after all these weeks and Sam allowed the front of her robe to fall open, revealing the squirming girl with her red little face. It broke Sam's heart to see tears slide down her cheeks for the first time. "Oh, sweetie. Don't cry. Mommy's here."

With some slight maneuvering, she managed to expose her breast and let the baby latch onto her nipple while keeping her in the sling. While her daughter fed, Sam got one of the chew sticks out and put it in her mouth. What she wouldn't do for a toothbrush…

Sam was still nursing when she heard commotion outside her tent and subconsciously hugged her child tighter to her body.

What the hell was going on?

The thought had barely formed, when the flap of the tent opened and Bra'tac rushed in. "We must leave immediately,  _Sām_."

"Hello to you, too," she said dryly, already starting to pack her things up with her free hand. It wasn't unusual for him to demand they pack up right away, so she had gotten used to it. There weren't many unpacked items, anyway.

Bra'tac grabbed just a handful of his things and packed up her water filter, before turning to her and halting her movements. "Now."

Her heart skipped a beat at the look on his face, but she automatically stood and put her robe back over the baby who was still nursing. "What is it?"

"It is as we feared," he said, grabbing her shoulder, "Apophis and Klorel survived the attack on the  _ha'taks_  and they have returned to Chulak."

"Fuck!" She grabbed her bag, tossing in the few items she really  _needed_  and then followed him out of the tent without a word, one hand supporting her daughter. A similar rushed exit had only occurred twice before and back then they'd also left the majority of their possessions behind, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She'd never been materialistic, anyway, and there were ways to obtain the things they required elsewhere.

Bra'tac led the way out of camp, not engaging with anyone else and pulling her along with him by the arm. He headed towards the stargate in long strides, but shying away from the beaten path and instead moving through the forested areas to use the trees and underbrush as cover if need be. All of a sudden, he stopped and gestured for her to take cover.

Sam climbed over a fallen tree and huddled down behind it, mindful of her daughter. There was a downwards slope just two feet from her and she thanked her lucky stars she'd seen it in time. It would be a good hiding spot, though. Still, she remained in place, awaiting word from Bra'tac. It had become SOP for him to send her to hide with the baby while he investigated anything suspicious. If it was a dangerous situation, he'd join her and otherwise he'd call out to her.

She waited with a racing heart, grimacing when the baby unlatched and started squirming. "Ssh," she hushed, rubbing her daughter's back and silently begging her to stay quiet. Just for a moment longer. Even her own breathing sounded loud to her ears, although she couldn't hear anything other than the normal forest sounds. No approaching enemy or anything. But then her hearing wasn't that of a Jaffa's.

Suddenly, Bra'tac jumped over the fallen tree with a move belying his age and he crouched down next to her. He put a finger to his lips, a universal sign to remain quiet. When she indicated the slope near their feet, he nodded and gestured for her to slide down.

Sam followed his directions, her movements hindered by her bag and the child strapped to her chest. But she managed it, although she cringed at the noise the scrunched leaves made as she slid downwards. Only seconds later Bra'tac joined her without making a sound and, using hand signals, explained there was a Jaffa patrol – Serpent guards – heading their way. He'd heard five, but suspected at least six.

Silently, they waited and sure enough, after what felt like an eternity, Sam heard the clanking of boots and Jaffa armor. When she glanced to her right, she saw Bra'tac had his eyes closed and knew he was trying to sense their presence. After they'd gotten rid of Herit, he had taught her to kelno'reem and how to use the naquadah inside of her to locate other Jaffa. He, of course, had over a century of experience and admitted that it wasn't an easy task, but she had more naquadah in her blood and was determined to learn.

Taking a deep breath, Sam followed his example and focused on their surroundings. As always, she could immediately sense her daughter and Bra'tac. The trick was to enhance the radius of the field. There! She sensed two Jaffa, about six feet away. Knowing there were more, she tried harder. After a few seconds she gave up and looked to Bra'tac. He held up six fingers and she, sheepishly, showed him two.

To her surprise, he smirked and patted her knee.

She returned the smile, before focusing on her restless child. Shooting Bra'tac an apologetic glance, Sam undid the front of her robe and grabbed hold of the baby. Pulling it up, she let it burp over her shoulder and prayed that would be the end of it. Of course, just as the clanking of armor came closer, her daughter scrunched up her face and started whimpering. "No, hush," she whispered, pressing her closer to her chest and kissing her dark hair. "We've got to be really quiet."

Next to her, Bra'tac tensed and readied his staff weapon, just in case.

Rubbing small circles on the girl's back and keeping her close, Sam hoped to calm her down before she'd betray their position. Seeing the tension in Bra'tac, she reached down for her belt and slipped on the Goa'uld hand device. Just to be safe.

Before she had time to adjust the finger guards, the baby started crying. Loudly.

" _Jaffa, kree_!"

Bra'tac jumped up, ran up the slope and leapt the tree while simultaneously activating his staff weapon.

Sam heard the whizz of staff weapon fire behind her and wrapped her arms tighter around the screaming baby, whispering reassuring words to her. She trusted Bra'tac to keep her and her daughter safe, but knew six Jaffa were a lot, even for him.

" _Sām_!"

Instinctively, Sam activated her personal force field shield and turned around just in time to see a hostile jump the fallen tree. She raised her left arm without hesitation and blasted him away with the hand device. With some effort, she put the screaming infant back in the sling and, righting her robes, took a  _zat'nik'tel_  in her right hand, before climbing the slope.

Bra'tac's head whipped around when she came onto the road, which gave another Jaffa the opportunity to shoot him. "Argh!"

"Bra'tac!" Sam cried out when she saw him go down and immediately went over to him, only sparing a second to fire twice at the Jaffa who'd shot him. Fortunately, the  _zat'nik'tel_  didn't require perfect aim. Sam counted three bodies with staff weapon blasts, plus the one she'd knocked to the other side of the road and the one she'd just killed with the  _zat'nik'tel_. She kept her left arm protectively over the baby, while leaning down near Bra'tac and scanning the surroundings for the sixth hostile.

" _Sām_ , go," Bra'tac murmured, his breathing labored.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "I don't think so." The words had barely left her lips, when a staff blast came straight at her… and was absorbed by her shield. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, before she aimed in the direction where the blast had come from. Hearing a groan from behind the bushes, she fired twice more. Bra'tac was still alive, but had a giant gaping wound in his side. "I'll be right back," she said, before getting up and checking on the hostile Jaffa. All of them looked dead, but to be on the safe side, she removed their weapons before firing again with her  _zat'nik'tel_  and watched their bodies disintegrate.

"You must… leave,  _Sām_. Save… the child."

Sam rolled her eyes and went back to where Bra'tac was lying. The baby's cries had finally turned into a soft whimpering and she pressed a kiss to the mop of dark hair, before kneeling next to her friend. "I'm not going to leave you here to die," she said, defiantly.

"You must… the child."

Touched by his concern, she reached out and grabbed his face in both her hands. "Remember how you told me I had to practice more with the healing device? I'm sorry I didn't get around to it, but how about I give it a shot now, hm?" She smiled when he narrowed his eyes at her. She'd only used it once on her ankle, which hadn't worked well, and after delivering the baby – Shan'auc had coached her into how to use it and it had helped her heal herself.

Not waiting for an answer, Sam exchanged her  _zat'nik'tel_  for the healing device. Normally, she would have dragged him off the road first, but neither of them were in any condition for it. So, she held the device over his wound, closed her eyes and focused on healing his injuries. It took longer than expected and she didn't stop when he started groaning in pain, but eventually, she  _knew_  the injury was healing. It was almost as if she could visualize it. Her arms started shaking with the effort and Sam could feel the energy draining from her, but she refused to give up. Not even when her daughter started crying again.

" _Sām_ ," Bra'tac said, grabbing hold of her wrist.

Her eyes flew open and locked on his. "Are you okay?"

He touched his side and leaned up. "You have healed me."

"Oh. Wow."

Bra'tac smirked at her reaction and got to his feet. He reached out a hand to pull her up, too. "I will collect the weapons. Console the child."

Sam numbly put the healing device away and tried to quiet the baby. That was easier said than done, but after sitting down on the fallen tree she finally managed it. "Can we rest for a minute?"

"We cannot," Bra'tac said, beckoning her over. "We must leave immediately. I do not know where these Serpent guards came from or what their mission was, but I do not believe they were searching for us. Yet. It is possible another patrol is on its way. We must be gone before they realize what happened here. For now, the  _chaapa'ai_  should be unguarded."

"Okay, okay." Sam knew his plan made sense, but she was suddenly exhausted. That had to be from using both of the Goa'uld devices, one to kill and the other to heal… She shook herself and slowly got up. "Where will we go?"

"To one of the uninhabited planets we have visited before," he said resolutely, sliding an arm around her waist to keep her standing. "There, we may rest. Come."


	10. Chapter 10

**O'Neill Residence**   
**Colorado Springs, CO.**   
**July 14, 1998**

Jack closed the front door and carried the delivered pizza back to the deck. Daniel was sitting on a lawn chair, looking forlorn. It reminded him of that day Daniel returned from Abydos and went home with him, almost two years ago. So much had happened since then. Not all of it good.

Hell, aside from making a few alien friends along the way and saving Earth from a Goa'uld attack, most of it was bad.

Really bad.

About a month ago, Daniel and Teal'c went to Abydos to tell Kasuf about Sha're's fate and that of Skaara, but instead Sha're had been there. Pregnant with Apophis' child. Jack suppressed a shudder at the thought. Poor Sha're. Hell, poor Daniel, who'd been forced to help Sha're deliver the baby and then witness the snake in her head take over again. He and Teal'c had managed to fool Apophis into thinking a rival Goa'uld had taken the baby, while in reality Kasuf had taken his grandson and fled Abydos.

Jack knew Daniel was still messed up about that and he couldn't blame him. The man had gotten a few hours with his wife before that snakehead took control and walked her body off with Apophis.

"Oh, is that the pizza?"

"No, the delivery guy only brought me an empty box," Jack said, rolling his eyes as he placed the food on the table. "Beer?"

"Um, sure."

He went back inside, took two beers from the fridge and handed Daniel one, before sitting down in his chair. "So…"

Daniel rolled the bottle between his hands, looking unsure even though he'd been the one to invite himself over. "So… can you believe Christina had other plans for tonight?"

"Kershaw probably has a date with Makepeace," he replied, grimacing. She was a good officer and a nice person in general, but he couldn't for the life of him understand what she saw in that Marine.

"I thought maybe Teal'c would join us, too."

Jack raised a brow, before taking a swig of Guinness. "Give the big guy a break; he was almost turned into a giant alien insect. He deserves some downtime with his family." Teal'c had left for the Land of Light, where Drey'auc and Rya'c were living since Moac, T and Kershaw brought them back from Chulak, on Friday and would return sometime that evening. Or maybe in the middle of the night. Jack wasn't sure about the time difference between the two planets.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right."

"What's really going on, Daniel?" When he just shrugged, Jack sighed and reluctantly gave him the opening for a serious talk. "Is this about Sha're?"

Daniel looked pained at the mention of his wife's name and stared off into the night's sky. "I can't stop thinking I should have done more. I just let Apophis take her away! Again!"

"From what you and Teal'c told us, there wasn't much you could do," Jack reminded him. "The snakehead had taken over control again, right?"

"Amaunet, the Goa'uld's name is Amaunet."

"Daniel, I don't care about the snake's name. You couldn't have stopped her or Apophis. Not when it was just you and Teal'c. Hell, we've tried to take Apophis down in the past and that didn't really work out as planned. There's no way you two could have taken on Apophis and Monet."

"But I didn't even try!"

Jack put his elbows on his legs and leaned forward, beer bottle dangling between his knees, and waited for his friend to look at him. "What could you have done? If you'd tried to stop the Goa'uld, then you probably would have gotten yourself killed and this time there'd be no handy sarcophagus. And then who would have made sure Kasuf got away with the baby?"

Daniel shrugged and took a sip of beer, making a face at the taste. "I don't know. Teal'c?"

"Oh right, because without him you would have been perfectly safe."

"Look, I don't know, okay? I just know I should have done  _something_ , instead of hiding!"

Jack took the beer bottle from Daniel as he'd started waving it around wildly, and put it on the table next to the untouched pizza. "It's not like you knew in advance what was going to happen. You only went there to keep your promise to Kasuf-"

"And I should have gone earlier!" Daniel cried, jumping up from his chair. "I could have spent  _months_  with Sha're on Abydos!"

"How? The gate on Abydos was blocked by a giant rock until Kasuf removed it, one Abydos year after we left. Just like you suggested. If you'd gone through earlier, you would have killed yourself."

"I don't care!"

Taken aback by the vehement response, Jack leaned back in his chair and let silence reign for a moment while Daniel kept pacing the deck. "You'd rather be dead right now?"

"I abandoned her, Jack! Twice! I just let Apophis take her away from me-"

"And you think killing yourself would have helped Sha're?" He asked, glaring at him. "Then you two wouldn't have had the chance to spend time together on Abydos before she gave birth. You wouldn't have been able to hold her. Touch her. Hell, kiss her. You got to tell her you love her and that you'll help her. That's not a chance everyone gets."

Daniel plopped back in his chair and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "But I didn't help her, Jack. I didn't do anything."

"You saved her son. That counts for something, trust me."

"But she doesn't even know it. She probably thinks I let Heru'ur take the baby."

Jack watched him as he sipped his beer, trying to figure out what to say. Was there even anything he could say to lessen the guilt Daniel was experiencing? It was a feeling all too familiar. Hell, he was still beating himself up over leaving Sam behind and she wasn't his wife, not even his girlfriend. A woman he barely knew, really – but one he wanted to get to know better. "Sha're knows you love her and that you won't give up. Next time we'll be prepared. All we have to do is find her and take her back to Cimmeria now that Sam has fixed Thor's Hammer."

Daniel nodded slowly, as if resigned to the situation. After a while, he reached for his beer again and took a sip, before opening the pizza box and taking out a slice.

Following his example, Jack grabbed some pizza too and munched on it. The pizza was cold but he didn't really care. He just hoped talking about Sha're had helped. "You still seeing the shrink?"

"Doctor MacKenzie?" Daniel questioned with a sideways glance. "Um, yeah. I don't know. I think it's helping. At least I'm getting some sleep again."

"That's good."

"Yeah… So, 'Sam'?"

Jack nearly choked on his beer and started coughing. "What?"

"You said 'Sam', instead of Captain Carter."

"Well, that's her name, isn't it?"

Daniel had that knowing look on his face when he replied, "Since long before we met, yeah. But that didn't stop you from referring to her as Captain Carter for nearly a year. Lately, you've started calling her Sam."

"I have?"

"Jack…"

He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair, wondering what to say. Daniel was way too observant sometimes. It annoyed the hell out of Jack. "I don't know, maybe recent developments have made her more than just a fellow officer to me."

"Like what?"

"Well, that whole thing with her dad in DC, for one." He thought that was a good enough reason. For now, anyway. He wasn't about to confess that he'd slept with her before she went missing. No, as far as everyone at the SGC knew, he didn't really know Sam Carter. Hammond and General Carter knew he'd met her once, but the details of that night were not something he was gonna share with either of them or Daniel.

"The alternate reality?"

"Huh?"

Daniel rolled his eyes in exasperation and snagged another slice of cold pizza, gesturing at him with it. "Oh, come on. You know what I'm talking about, Jack. That alternate reality I visited. You seemed pretty surprised when I told you your alternate was engaged to her."

"Well yeah, I barely knew her. And you know alternate realities give me a headache."'

"Sure."

Jack narrowed his eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he said, in between bites. "It's just… well, you've been pretty intent on finding her."

"Oh, you'd rather I forego the search for  _your_  friend?"

"Of course not. But you seem more invested in this than other people from the SGC who've gone missing. People you knew and worked with before they got lost out there," Daniel replied, pointing at the sky.

Jack contemplated how much to share with him as he finished his beer. "Well, everyone at the SGC keeps telling me how important she is. She did create the whole dialing program and Catherine said Sam's the one who designed that Goa'uld Buster the SGC fired at the mothership." He smirked when Daniel scoffed at the ineffectiveness of the weapon. It hadn't even penetrated the shields. "I suppose even geniuses make mistakes sometimes. Trial and error and all that."

Daniel smiled, too, his voice betraying his fondness as he spoke, "Sam told me she'd rather be out there, exploring the galaxy and fighting the Goa'uld on an SG team like me than designing weapons. She didn't like that, but understood the necessity of it." He chuckled softly at a memory. "She complained to me once that she didn't have enough naquadah for one of her missiles and asked me to bring her back some on my next mission, for more tests."

"Who knows, maybe if we had, the SGC could have done more damage, even with the shields of the ships still active."

"Or they could have made more and fired them after Bra'tac disabled the shields on Klorel's  _ha'tak_."

Jack grimaced at the mention of Klorel, reminded of the look of fear in Skaara's eyes when the snake momentarily lost control. "Maybe, but then we wouldn't be here."

"Oh, right. We'd be space dust, or something. Sam could probably tell me."

"Probably," he agreed. She was smart, after all. She'd certainly proven that by fixing Thor's Hammer, something no one at the SGC or those in the know of the Program had even considered. "You could ask her when we find her."

Daniel's eyebrows lifted in surprise at his tone and turned towards him. "'When'? You sound pretty determined."

"I told you, we'll find her. And Skaara and Sha're. I'm not giving up on them."

"But we don't even know where she is or how she's doing. At least we know Sha're and Skaara are with Apophis. No one seems to know where Sam is."

Jack shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. "That's where the planet list Moac and Teal'c put together comes in."

"But that's assuming Bra'tac is with Sam. It hasn't been confirmed he was with Sam on Cimmeria, assuming it  _was_  Sam who fixed Thor's Hammer. We don't even know if Bra'tac got off the ship before it exploded. And even if he did and is with Sam, there's no guarantee he'll go to those planets."

"We'll find out soon enough," he said. "Catherine managed to correct the first few addresses for stellar drift earlier today. As soon as Teal'c is back and cleared for duty, I'll ask Hammond to add the planets to our mission roster."

Daniel peered at him. "And you still claim it's just because of her importance to the SGC?"

"She's one of us and got screwed over somehow by that bastard Grieves. We can't prove it – yet – but that's something no one deserves, especially not her after everything she's done in service of the Air Force."

"I know that," he said.

"Yeah? She must have been through hell before she got rid of that snake in her head, but you're still asking me why I want to find her? I thought that'd be fucking obvious."

Sighing, he shifted in his chair and tried to explain. "No, it's just that you're so intent on the search for her a-"

Jack was getting tired of this and shot up from his chair. "Damn it, Daniel. Back on that ship, I had to leave her behind to make sure Apophis wouldn't succeed and get my team to safety. I'd think you of all people know what it's like to have to make that kind of decision!"

* * *

**Dar Eshkalon**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

A few weeks ago, when Bra'tac had gone to Chulak while Sam stayed on Corak, he'd brought her back a notebook and she enjoyed writing in it. A journal, really. It had almost gotten lost in the fight with the Jaffa patrol, but fortunately Bra'tac had reminded her to take their bags with them before they fled through the stargate. Together, they'd killed all six Jaffa but it was possible someone had witnessed the fight or their escape, so to be on the safe side, Bra'tac had insisted on traveling to six different planets before they settled on one. Just to lose any pursuers. It had worked and no one followed them.

That was five planets ago. They avoided populated areas for the time being and tried to focus on uninhabited planets. But that was easier said than done, as there were only so many Bra'tac knew of and there had to be food, water and somewhere they could build a shelter. The current planet was abandoned, or at least everything within a twenty-mile radius, and wasn't under a Goa'uld's rule according to Bra'tac. There was nothing to gain from it, for the Goa'uld.

Sam sighed and looked up from the journal she'd been scribbling in. The sun was high in the sky, which meant it was time to go back to camp. She packed up her things and got up, shielding her eyes against the bright sun. It was their third day on Dar Eshkalon and she decided she liked it. The spot under the tree was nice; it was in the shade, a few feet from the lake, surrounded by high grass and at a five-minute walk from the camp.

The perfect place to kelno'reem and write.

She smiled as she made her way back. There was sunshine, a balmy temperature and a gentle breeze. It was a rather idyllic place. Just what she needed after the past few weeks. That was probably why Bra'tac picked it, she thought. Of course, if he'd known about Dar Eshkalon all along, then he could have brought her here when her due date had been coming up. It was a much better place to deliver a baby than the cold planet she'd been on.

"It is time," Bra'tac said when she entered their shelter.

Sam tensed at his words and immediately sought out her daughter, who was lying next to him. "We have to leave?"

"No." Bra'tac waited until she turned back to him, one bag already in her hand. "It is time to name the child."

"Oh." She felt the tension drain from her body and managed a smile as she walked over to them. The baby was lying on its back, kicking and waving its hands. " _Oh_ ," she repeated, as it sank in. "I still haven't decided on a name, really."

"She will need to be named before we move to a more populated location."

Sam rolled her eyes and picked up her baby. "So many rules for naming a child."

"Do you need more suggestions?"

"No, thank you. I made a list of the ones you've made, some of Shan'auc's suggestions, names we've come across and a few that I… just knew. And they're not  _Tau'ri_  names."

Bra'tac raised a brow. "Perhaps it is the knowledge of Herit."

"Great, just what I wanted."

"Perhaps you will have decided on a name when I return from Sartorus."

Sam stopped in the middle of stroking her daughter's adorable cheeks and looked up at him. "Have you heard from Moac?"

Bra'tac shook his head and smiled when the baby grabbed his outstretched finger. "No, as I told you before, I have left word for Moac to meet on Sartorus."

"With Shan'auc?"

"Yes, she has known him for many cycles from her duties as a priestess. She saw him in the  _ȧst ȧmakh_  to pay honor to Apophis and Klorel upon their return to Chulak."

Upon her daughter's insistent nuzzling, Sam undid her robe to breastfeed her. "You're sure you can trust her with the identity of Moac and the message for him?"

"Indeed. I have known her from before she was chosen by Apophis to become a priestess. She and my apprentice Teal'c were lovers and he wanted her to become his betrothed."

"I take it that didn't happen?"

Bra'tac rose to his feet and grabbed both of them some fresh fruit, handing her a bowl. "Those who serve in the  _ȧst ȧmakh_  must devote their lives to their God. Teal'c was to become a death glider pilot in the forces of Apophis. He later married Drey'auc of the Cord'ai Plains, who was offered to him by Apophis as a reward for his loyal service."

"She was a gift?"

"All Jaffa must ask permission for a betrothal from their God or, in their absence, the priests. Daughters of strong warriors will be offered to the unbetroth warriors by their God when they are of age. Teal'c had done well and received permission to choose one of the females. He chose Drey'auc."

Sam wasn't a proponent of arranged marriages but wasn't really surprised to discover it was part of Jaffa culture after her own experiences. "Wait.. Drey'auc? As in the woman who dyed my hair?"

"Indeed."

"And you didn't think to tell me she is Teal'c's wife?"

Bra'tac looked down at the nursing baby and up to her face. "Do you not wish to return to the  _Tau'ri_ eventually,  _Sām_? We could arrange a meeting with Teal'c through Drey'auc."

"Didn't you say Drey'auc was nowhere to be found on Chulak? What if Apophis or Klorel has her and she's telling them all about me?"

"She does not know your true identity," he said. "But I do not believe she has been captured. Moac will know more, I tasked him with protecting her and her son."

Sam could feel more doubts about his plan creeping in. What if Drey'auc had blabbed about her – there couldn't be that many tall, blonde and blue-eyed women with fair skin on Chulak – to the wrong person? Had she been aware of the pregnancy? Did Klorel know? "But you don't even know if Shan'auc passed your message along to Moac. Or maybe she has and he's set a trap to deliver us to the Goa'uld."

"He was my  _chal'tii_  before you were born. Do you truly believe he would betray me now, after helping Teal'c and the  _Tau'ri_  escape from Apophis'  _ha'tak_ , hm?"

"I don't know," she said hotly. "That's my point! I don't know him that well. I only remember him as my guard, in case you've forgotten."

Bra'tac narrowed his eyes at her, "I have not."

"Well… good." She realized it was an immature response, but even though she understood and had forgiven Bra'tac for his role, she couldn't forget what she'd been forced to endure since her captivity. "I still think it's a risky plan."

"I will take precautions before meeting with Moac. Then we will discuss the events that have occurred since we last spoke. Perhaps he has more information on the  _Tau'ri_  for us."

Sam knew he meant well, but she still worried. It wasn't like she'd be welcomed back with open arms, not after what Grieves had done. They all thought of her as a traitor back on Earth. "It won't be so simple, Bra'tac."

"Perhaps it will not be as difficult as you believe either,  _Sām._ "

"Well, it's not like they'll hand us a GDO with an IDC and throw a parade for me when I exit the wormhole at the SGC."

A flash of confusion crossed his face at the jargon before he shook his head. "Moac can arrange a meeting with Teal'c. He is an honorable warrior who can be trusted, even if you have doubts about your own kind. We can explain-"

"It's not that easy," Sam said, interrupting him. "You know what happened to me."

"I can attest to your condition when you were found by my  _thesu_. You can explain what occurred before you were found. Teal'c has pledged allegiance to your O'Neill and Hammond of Texas, thus they must be worthy of his trust and loyalty."

"It's not just them, you know."

He took a swig from his water skin and nodded. "First, I will meet with Moac."

"It will take more than an invitation from Moac to meet up for me to be allowed to return."

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it."

Sam smiled at the familiar expression but wasn't as convinced as he was. Still, she knew he was stubborn as well and simply nodded. "Okay. When is your meeting with Moac?"

Bra'tac gave her a knowing look, aware of her doubts. "I will leave for Sartorus after our meal."

"How long will you be gone?"

"It will take time to reach the arranged meeting place and I do not know if Moac will be there in time. Then I must also return. It should take no longer than five days on this planet. Long enough for you to decide on a name for the  _sefi_."

Sam chuckled when he caressed the baby's hair. Despite his first reaction upon seeing her daughter and his complaining about her remarkable appearance, he seemed to have grown fond of her. "I will narrow it down to my favorites and start a process of elimination," she promised, retrieving her notebook.

"Very well."

* * *

**Ȧama |  P1C-689**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Jack wiped his forehead and groused about the temperature. The sun wasn't even at its highest point anymore but it was hot. Sweat was dripping down his back, making his BDUs cling to his skin. Daniel and Kershaw both looked flushed, either from the heat or the sun. He didn't know. Teal'c was unperturbed, as always. "Let's go to those trees and take five," he said. "Don't want anyone to dehydrate in this heat."

"I haven't seen any signs of civilization," Daniel said when they reached the trees and dropped his pack. He took a swig of water and then wetted his bandana to cool his face.

"Doctor Langford said the UAV hadn't recorded anything either in its recon," Lieutenant Kershaw piped up. "Most of the terrain was covered by these trees."

"There  _are_  a lot of trees," Jack muttered.

"Well, that would explain the name of the planet," Daniel said. When everyone looked to him, he hastened to explain, "Ȧama means Tree of Life."

"You'd think sheltering under them would give some reprieve from the heat. You know, to stay  _alive_."

Teal'c raised a brow after finishing the water in his canteen. "I do not believe the temperature or humidity are affected by the presence of these trees, O'Neill."

"It's really hot out here. No wonder this place is uninhabited," Kershaw said.

"You ever been here before, T?"

"Not often," the Jaffa replied. "As discussed, it is an uninhabited planet. Apophis would only sent a patrol every few cycles to investigate whether the planet remained as such. There are no resources of any value for the Goa'uld."

Jack took off his cap and, after taking a few sips, emptied his canteen over his head. "Ahh, that feels good. Daniel, do you have the images the UAV took during its recon?"

"Um, yeah. Let me get them."

"How much farther do we go, Sir?"

He shrugged in reply to Kershaw's question and looked over the photographs with Daniel. "That's got to be at least twenty miles," he said, trailing a finger along the length of the forest. That was way too much terrain, especially on a planet that was of no interest to them at the moment. "We can't cover all of that today. You're sure this is one of the places Bra'tac might go, T?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "Moac and I agreed. Master Bra'tac would know this to be a safe location."

"Would he know it's really hot this time of year, too?" Jack whined, as he ran a hand through his wet hair. "I know you Jaffa probably aren't affected because of your symbiote, but I don't think Captain Carter could stand this for very long."

"Maybe farther inland. It looks like there's a lake east," Daniel said, pointing at the pictures.

"That looks like a mountain. We'd have to walk around it and that would probably take all day, Sir."

Jack cast a glance at the images and agreed with Kershaw. "There's a chance we could go over the mountain, instead of around it. But we won't know until we get there."

Daniel shrugged. "Do we really need to go there, if there are no signs of anyone having been here recently?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c said. "Look up."

At first, he just saw the canopy but when he followed Teal'c's line of sight, he realized there was something else. A manmade structure, perhaps. In more than one tree. "Tree huts?"

"Oh, that's pretty cool," Kershaw commented. "I wonder if the temperature is more doable up there."

"I don't see a ladder or anything. Teal'c, get the climbing gear out. We've got climbing to do."

"Oh boy," Daniel muttered.

About half an hour later, Jack finally set foot in one of the huts. He was sweating even more than before but had to admit it felt better up high, with a soft breeze providing some cool air. The tree hut itself was of a simple design and it was obvious there hadn't been anyone there in years. Maybe even decades. The people who'd built the huts must have moved somewhere with a nicer climate. He walked back outside where there was a small wraparound, from which he could see Teal'c and Kershaw in two neighboring huts. Daniel was still on the ground with their packs. "I've got nothing here," he yelled. "Going back down."

By the time he joined Daniel, Teal'c was already there and Kershaw was making her way down her tree. Aside from some leaves, branches and debris covering the floor of Kershaw's hut, they were all pretty much the same.

"Now what? Do you want to check all the huts, Jack? Because while you guys were up there, I used the binoculars and spotted about two dozen more," Daniel said.

Jack's arms and legs were already sore from the climb – not that he'd admit it – and he wasn't looking forward to repeating the climb and descend another half dozen times. "Jaffa normally don't carry climbing gear, right Teal'c?"

"They do not."

"So, if Bra'tac's been here, then he probably wouldn't have the means to get up to one of those and I doubt Captain Carter had some carabiners on her."

Kershaw looked doubtful and, when prompted, shrugged. "They could have used rope, Sir. I mean, it's more dangerous but I've got to admit it's a pretty good hiding spot."

"Teal'c?"

"That is correct. However, I do not believe Master Bra'tac would find it worth the effort, unless there are huts on lower heights or with easier climbs."

Daniel let out a sigh of relief, probably thinking he wouldn't have to climb any trees today. "That's a good point. I suppose Bra'tac could get all his food and maybe water up there, but it would still mean climbing down every day or two to refill his water supply."

Jack nodded in agreement and peered through the forest. "Well, if I was Bra'tac or Captain Carter and had my heart set on this planet and its tree huts, then I'd find one closer to the lake."

"The UAV's recon only showed one lake within walking distance, O'Neill."

"That way it is," he said, clasping his hands.

It took them about an hour to reach the edge of the forest, coming across over a dozen tree huts way up high. But at the edge, there were lower huts that were much easier to reach. There weren't any ladders but the huts were lower – the trees smaller – and the branches doubles as steps. Some trees had marks on them or steps carved into the bark. They spread out and, aside from Daniel, each climbed up to a hut. Daniel kept watch over their packs and tracked which huts still needed searching.

Jack was the one who came across a hut that looked somewhat lived in. "I've got something!"

"Have you found evidence of Master Bra'tac and Captain Carter's presence?" Teal'c asked when he joined him ten minutes later.

"You tell me."

The Jaffa moved through the hut, taking in every detail and even crouching down to examine the leaves on the floor more closely.

"I concur, O'Neill. It would appear Drey'auc spoke the truth when she informed me of Master Bra'tac's visit to her."

"You doubted her?" He asked, raising a brow.

"She was reluctant to speak of it and if it had not been for Rya'c's mention of Master Bra'tac, she would not have informed me at all."

Jack could tell that really bothered him. "Ah, come on. She's your wife. I'm sure she would have told you. Maybe she wanted to wait until you were leaving the Land of Light, so you wouldn't feel obligated to return to Earth earlier than planned."

"It was not so," Teal'c said, with obvious disdain. "She claimed she had promised Master Bra'tac not to speak of his presence or that of his companion."

"Ah yes," he said, repeating what Teal'c had told them during their briefing, "the female with the golden hair."

"Indeed."

Jack did a three-sixty of the room before stepping out to the railing. "Can you tell how long ago they were here?"

Teal'c joined him outside and grabbed a nearby branch from above. "It is difficult to say without further knowledge of the plant life on this planet, but I estimate it on several months ago. Perhaps more."

"Damn," he said, having hoped for something more recent. "Let's join the kids down below."

Kershaw and Daniel were patiently waiting on the ground next to their packs, holding out canteens of water and MREs. "Anything, Sir?"

Jack took a swig of water and waved away the MRE, not feeling hungry. "Yeah, but Teal'c thinks it's been months since they were here."

"But it was them?"

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. Master Bra'tac tried to leave the hut as it were before he arrived, but he taught me well. I also found a strand of blonde hair."

Jack nodded at the explanation, before checking his watch. "Well, at least now we know this plan of ours isn't a complete waste of time. Maybe the General can convince his superiors that we need to schedule more missions to the addresses Moac and Teal'c wrote down. For now, I think we should head back. We can take five and make it back home before  _The Simpsons_  is on."


	11. Chapter 11

**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam squeezed the last bit of water from her long hair and let out a sigh of contentment. They'd found a lake with a waterfall. It wasn't very tall, maybe ten feet, and the flow not very heavy – more than a trickle, but not rushed – which made it perfect for someone to stand under and wash their hair. Someone like her, who longed for the comforts of the shower she'd had in her apartment in DC after months of washing up at riverbanks or wading into lakes. Her hair almost reached her lower back now, which normally made it a chore to wash, but not by standing under the waterfall. Her scalp felt like it had been massaged and for the first time in months she felt really clean.

She twirled her hair until she could put a knot in it, to keep it in place. Her daughter had a tendency to reach for any loose locks, something that Sam tried to avoid when possible. After slipping on her shift, she exited the shallow cave behind the waterfall and blinked against the bright sunlight. Her eyes had to adjust before she could spot Bra'tac, who was sitting a few feet away on the grass with the newly named Ife in his lap, one big hand on her chest to support her. If they'd been on Earth, she might have mistaken him for a man enjoying a sunny day in the park with his grandchild. "Hey," she said as she came closer. "I'm done. Did you want to wash up or eat before we head back?"

"I must bathe," Bra'tac said, glowering. "Your daughter urinated on me."

Sam bit back a laugh when he gestured at the tunic lying next to him, but quickly sobered. Up until he pointed it out, she hadn't even noticed he was bare chested. It made her uncomfortable to see her daughter resting back against him, so close to his Jaffa pouch. Logically, she knew his symbiote was years from maturity and even then they wouldn't use an infant as host, but her hands itched to grab Ife from him. "I'll take her so you can get cleaned up."

"I will not be long."

"Hey sweetie," she said, when he handed her the baby.

Ife smiled at her and immediately started grabbing for her hair, but ended up grasping the strap of her shift. Drool dribbled down her chin and she smeared it all over Sam when she snuggled closer, babbling to herself.

Sam had long ago gotten used to baby drool, vomit and pee, and simply snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to the wispy brown hair at the top of her baby's head. Looking down at the discarded tunic with a big pee stain on the front, she snorted. "You've got good aim, Ife."

Two fish were lying on the grass and she wondered when Bra'tac had time to catch them, but was grateful for it. They usually ate fruits, vegetables and nuts when they were on their own. On populated worlds they sometimes had the chance to make bread or the  _pes_  Drey'auc taught her, but they usually shied away from too much interaction with others in the  _kresh'taa_ camps. They couldn't afford for anyone to learn about Ife's parentage and preferably not even her existence, although that was more difficult in the smaller camps.

Yes, some fish would be a nice change. They aimed to catch an animal – by hunting or in traps – at least once a month, so they could eat from it for a few days, but it had been a while since they last had fish. Poultry was even rarer.

"I'm just going to put you down to clean the fish," Sam told her daughter, laying her in the flattened grass where Bra'tac had been sitting. "I'll be right here."

Ife just blinked at her before something else drew her attention and she turned her head to look around, waving her little arms and kicking her feet.

Sam had some experience with preparing fish from when she was a kid and her dad took her and her brother Mark camping, but since living off-world she'd become a pro at it – and after skinning animals for their pelt she didn't even mind the mess from gutting. After finishing the first fish, she grabbed some banana leaves Bra'tac must have collected and handed one to the baby to play with and wrapped the others around the fish. By the time Bra'tac came back from bathing, she was wrapping up the second fish. "Want me to prepare them already?"

"Hm." He glanced at Ife, who was still playing with her banana leaf, before reaching for his tunic. "Make the fire and roast them, while I clean my clothing."

The meal was consumed in silence, aside from the occasional babbling from the baby as she rolled around in the grass. When they were finished, Bra'tac disintegrated any leftovers and waste from the fish to prevent attracting wild animals. Sam, meanwhile, started breastfeeding Ife.

"What does this say?"

Sam looked up to see Bra'tac indicating her notebook, still open on the page she left it before her shower. Her handwriting was neat and, from what she'd heard over the years, very legible, but Bra'tac had told her a while back that reading and writing was forbidden for humans on Goa'uld worlds. Only Jaffa priests and high-ranking warriors were taught how to read and write in Goa'uld, which resembled Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs as far as she could tell ‑ and it was read from right to left. Most Jaffa also spoke the Jaffa dialect and not the official language of the Goa'uld, as well as some English. But not even Bra'tac, with over a hundred years of service as First Prime to Apophis, could read or write English.

That only made her appreciate his gesture of getting her a book and writing tools more. "Um, those are just some notes on your meeting with Moac." She wrote about everything, from everyday adventures and small milestones Ife made to her time in captivity and as a host. The latter she tried to avoid, but she'd discovered writing it out helped when the nightmares became too much.

"Oh."

"I don't want to forget anything," she explained. "I figured it would help us plan the upcoming meetings."

Bra'tac nodded in understanding. "Have you made a decision yet about our next step?"

Sam knew he only asked for her benefit, because he usually already had his own ideas. He was still insisting that she had to meet with SG-1, so she could go home. Eventually. But she knew things weren't that simple. Who knew what Grieves had told them and what the Air Force – and the folks at the SGC and Jack's team in particular – thought of her now?

Even after all this time, she had no idea why Grieves had done what he did. Did anyone at the SGC know or suspect he was dirty? If he was still the commander of SG-7 she couldn't return. If he wasn't, then she had to know for sure that he'd been operating alone. But that made even less sense.

And what would happen when anyone found out she'd been a host to Herit? Sam knew about the experiments her own former CO, Colonel Kennedy, wanted to perform on Teal'c and even Major Kawalsky when he'd been taken over by an immature Goa'uld. She didn't have a Goa'uld anymore, or at least she was pretty sure it had dissolved into her body, but she had some of Herit's memories and could use Goa'uld technology…

" _Sām_?"

Bra'tac's voice interrupted her train of thought and she shook herself. "Sorry, I must have zoned out for a moment there. Um, I think you were right. Now that we know for sure both Moac and SG-1 survived, Moac should meet with Teal'c on our behalf."

"He can contact them directly."

Sam knew from Bra'tac's report on his meeting with Moac that the young Jaffa had a GDO and probably his own IDC. It was hard for her to see beyond that, because it would be so easy to ask him to take her home. But then… she'd probably end up as someone's guinea pig and who knew what they'd do with Ife! Sure, she was Jack's, but no one knew and the fact that she had some of Sam's naquadah in her system would make her far too interesting to people like Kennedy. "If Teal'c agrees to meet with him at a prearranged location of our choosing, then we can learn more about what he knows about me. They might not even be looking for me, you know."

"That I do not believe,  _Sām_."

"Have you heard from Moac?"

He shook his head. "No."

"And you're sure that you've got reception here for that communication orb?"

Bra'tac smirked and pulled the palm-sized version of the Goa'uld long-range communication device from his pocket. "They might be small, but these work well with many planets between them."

"They better," she muttered, "we traded the last of Herit's jewelry for it."

"Do not be alarmed. Moac cannot leave Chulak whenever he pleases now that Apophis and Klorel have returned. He must be cautious in his actions to contact the  _Tau'ri_. Perhaps Teal'c needs to convince your O'Neill and Hammond of Texas, before he is allowed to proceed."

Sam sighed and moved Ife to her other breast. "I know, you're right. We don't know how long it'll take Moac to establish contact with the SGC. General Hammond will need to clear it with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President, before Teal'c can get back to Moac. Assuming Teal'c agrees, Moac will contact you for further instructions. I guess I'm just impatient now that there's actually a chance of getting in touch with… the SGC." She'd almost said  _home_ , but knew she still had a long way to go before home was an option.

"It will not be long, now. You will see."

"I hope so. I really do."

* * *

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**August 17, 1998**

Jack stared down into the gate room, wondering what the hell was taking so long. The Touchstone, a piece of advanced alien technology to control the weather on the planet Madrona, had been stolen. The Madronans insisted the men who took it were from Earth, which had led him and the rest of SG-1 to the second stargate. The one that was supposed to be locked away at Area 51. However, when they got there, Colonel Maybourne showed them around and insisted the second stargate hadn't been used since it was recovered from Antarctica.

Except, the stored stargate was made of plastic.

Of course, that shouldn't have surprised anyone when a lowlife like Maybourne was involved. The guy had even implied that moving the actual beta stargate elsewhere had been authorized by a civilian organization.

"Have some coffee, Jack," Catherine Langford said from behind him, placing a cup of black liquid on the table. "Walter said General Hammond has arrived at the check-in point. He should be down here soon."

"Thanks, Catherine."

She had been the one to devise a plan to locate the beta gate, by sending a MALP to Earth through the stargate on Madrona while overloading the gate. That way, the wormhole would jump like it had when Teal'c and Kershaw were sent to Antarctica and the MALP would exit from the beta gate. Unfortunately, the MALP had been destroyed shortly after arriving, making tracking it impossible.

"I wish I could have done more," Catherine said, sighing. She and Hammond had been the ones to recommend on what to do with the beta stargate after it had been recovered and now she felt responsible for its misuse.

"Hey, you got us something." Jack gave her a smile, because it wasn't her fault that some asshole who didn't know alien friend from foe had secreted the second gate away for their own purposes. It was probably someone connected to that slime ball Kinsey. "We know it's somewhere in Southern Utah."

Catherine glanced at the map they'd used to indicate the area in which the second gate could be hidden. "That's still quite big."

Daniel, who was seated at the table with the other two members of SG-1, jumped in. "Actually, by narrowing it down to Southern Utah, General Hammond could narrow down the list of possibilities when calling in a favor."

"And that's exactly what I did, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said as he entered the briefing room. "If everyone will take a seat, we can get started."

Jack listened as the General explained what his contact had told him and quietly wondered what it had cost the man to call in such a marker. But that wasn't important right now, not when the rivers on Madrona had turned to ice and their croplands would be disseminated if the Touchstone wasn't returned soon.

"That was everything I found out. This NID landing strip doesn't officially exist, therefore I don't think there's a jurisdictional issue. But even if there is, that C-5 is Air Force property and it is our jurisdiction," Hammond concluded. "There's a chopper waiting up top for you, SG-1. It will take you to Hill Air Force Base. From there, you're on your own. Dismissed."

"All right, let's gear up," Jack said, clasping his hands. "We'll meet up top."

"Yes, Sir," Kershaw said, before dashing off.

Daniel and Teal'c followed more sedately and Catherine left for the control room after a "Good luck".

It seemed Hammond wanted a word with him before they left, too. "One other thing, Colonel. We don't know if the people who took the Gate and the Touchstone are friend or foe. Therefore, under no condition are you to fire on them. Understood?"

"Under no conditions… fire," Jack reiterated, confused. How the hell was he supposed to find the bad guys, retrieve the Touchstone and return home safely with his team with his hands tied behind his back?

"That's right."

"What if they fire on us, Sir?"

"Then you are to take cover. Do not return fire unless it's the only option remaining in order to defend yourselves."

He frowned. "General, I don't think that's going to-"

Hammond cut him off, his tone laced with impatience. "Those are my orders, Colonel. We're already going way out on a limb on this one. I don't want my people mortally wounding another American who may just be following orders. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," he said, slowly. "If you don't mind me asking, Sir… do you have any idea who's behind all of this cloak and dagger stuff?"

"All things seem to point in the direction of the NID," Hammond mused, "but whether it's an authorized mission from high up is a different question."

"No official landing strip, no official operation, right?"

"Exactly. You better join your teammates, because that chopper won't wait forever, Colonel."

"Yes, Sir," Jack said, heading for the corridor. He was almost out of the door when he turned back to his CO. "Wasn't Grieves transferred to Utah?"

Hammond's face darkened at the mention of the former SG-7 team leader. "Go get 'em, son."

Jack threw him a jaunty salute and then made his way to the gear room, where Teal'c, Daniel and Kershaw were just leaving. He quickly got his things and joined them on their way up to the surface and into the chopper.

The building from where the beta gate was operated looked nondescript. Jack signaled for everyone to get their weapons out as he led the way through a gate and along the building to a door. There was a broken window above him. Perfect. Using his periscope, he took a peek inside; there was one man carrying a small metal box, a large stargate-sized crate on the floor in the center of the room with two men standing near it, plus a white moving truck with the back raised. There was no sign of an elaborate dialing computer or a compact DHD, but it was possible that was what the truck was for, he mused.

A C-5 was landing on the airstrip nearby, which was the perfect cover they'd need. Jack signaled his team and together, they moved into the building with their guns ready.

"Stand to, gentlemen," Jack ordered. "Keep those hands visible."

All three men present raised their hands.

"Who the hell are you?"

"No one's damn business! Step away from the crate," he said, making his way over to it.

The sound of the gate dialing was the only warning they got before the kawoosh appeared from the crate, heading straight up towards the ceiling before falling back to an open wormhole.

Jack had jumped aside, landing on the floor and saw everyone else had taken cover too. Someone had to have dialed an address! The thought had barely formed in his head, when someone jumped out of the back of the truck and grabbed for the small metal box one of the NID guys had dropped earlier.

"Stop!" Jack shouted, firing shots around the box. It was the only way he could think of to keep the man from taking it, without actually aiming at him. The guy looked up and backed away. Jack recognized him immediately. "Grieves! You son of a bitch!"

"Adios, O'Neill," he shouted, before jumping onto the crate and into the wormhole.

Two others followed him, but the third made a play for the metal box.

"Don't do it!" Jack yelled, firing off more shouts around the box.

"Ow, damn it," he cried out, grabbing his arm. Then, he turned around and dove into the wormhole. Two seconds later, the wormhole closed and disappeared.

Kershaw dashed over to the truck and leaped into the back. "Arrgh!" She reappeared, looking frustrated. "I missed the address. The DHD just blinked out when I got there."

"Damn it," Jack muttered. If only Hammond hadn't ordered him not to shoot at the NID men. And whose brilliant idea was it anyway to equip the SG teams going offworld with zats, without leaving him just one? Otherwise he could have stunned all four of them and brought them back to the SGC for questioning.

"Well, at least we have this," Daniel piped up, taking the Touchstone out of the metal box.

"And I believe you injured the last man, O'Neill."

Jack looked over to the Jaffa and nodded. "Yeah, I think I did."

"Let's hope we can get this back to Madrona in time."

"Put it back into the metal case and contact Hammond, Daniel. If he gives permission, we can use this gate to deliver it to the Madronans. Lieutenant, check to see if there are any traces of blood from hostile number four and collect them for the lab."

Teal'c raised a brow as Kershaw did as he told. "Do you believe Doctor Fraiser can find out the identity of the injured man?"

Jack shrugged. "Maybe. Grieves was one of them, maybe the others are military too. Everyone who starts at the SGC has to submit a DNA sample. Hammond could get permission to run the DNA against the military database to find an ID for this wounded guy."

"Do you really think that's possible, Sir?" Kershaw asked, looking surprised.

"Like I said, maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ife is an Egyptian name and is pronounced as 'Ee-fay'.


	12. Chapter 12

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**September 6, 1998**

Jack peered down at the gate room, willing the stargate to come alive. Of course, nothing happened. He briefly wondered if he'd have been able to affect the stargate a few days ago, when he'd gone Ancient. Their knowledge had been downloaded into his brain after he'd ignored his own advice and touched a piece of alien tech. While under the influence, he'd built some kind of impressive doohickey according to Catherine and traveled to a different  _galaxy_  where the Asgard helped him out. Nice guys, those little grays.

Now, however, he was waiting for Teal'c to return from an off-world meeting. If it had been anyone other than Moac with all the cloak and dagger stuff, Jack wouldn't have agreed to let T go. He trusted Moac. "Just keep telling yourself that," he muttered.

"Colonel?"

Turning around, he saw Hammond standing in the doorway. "Nothing, Sir. Just waiting for Teal'c to return."

"I don't think you watching over the gate room will make him return any sooner, son."

"Probably not."

Hammond walked over and joined him at the window. "Moac can be trusted. We wouldn't have given him a GDO with his own IDC otherwise."

Jack sighed. "I know, but I don't like this whole mysterious meeting."

"Not hard to miss, considering how vocal you were about it during the briefing."

"Sorry, Sir," he said, sheepishly. It wasn't Hammond's fault but he'd been unprepared for it and frustrated from being cooped up in the infirmary for days because of going Ancient. "It's just… why Teal'c?"

The General looked amused by his whine and shrugged. "Perhaps the lead Moac has on Master Bra'tac and Captain Carter's whereabouts is from a fellow Jaffa and they only trust one of their own. I don't think it has anything to do with you or SG-1, Colonel. Moac has made it clear he respects and trusts you as a leader. But you're not a Jaffa."

The Jaffa they'd encountered off-world weren't very trusting of the  _'Tau'ri_ ' and everyone seemed to know that Bra'tac used to be Teal'c's mentor, so Jack had to agree with his CO that it made sense for them to trust T. "I still think we should have done a recon of the area first."

"But if Moac or his contact had been keeping an eye on it, they would have seen our people and called the whole meeting off."

"It's taking too long; Teal'c should have been back already. I should have gone with him, provided backup."

Hammond clasped his shoulder and squeezed it. "Don't worry, he'll be back soon. If anyone can look after himself, it's Teal'c. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Doctor Fraiser hasn't cleared you for active duty yet, son."

Jack made a face at the reminder. That little Napoleonic power monger wasn't convinced he was back to normal yet after the Asgard deleted the Ancient knowledge from his brain, while he felt fine. A bit tired maybe, but then he  _had_  worked hard while under the influence. But Fraiser insisted on keeping him confined to her infirmary, which was really the only reason he'd been on base over the weekend. In this case, it worked out well, because it gave him a legitimate excuse to wait for Teal'c. "The Doc said she'll reevaluate tomorrow and I have the utmost confidence that I'll be back in the field this week, General."

"We'll see, Colonel," Hammond said, with a gentle smile. "Now, why don't you go check in on Doctor Jackson and Lieutenant Kershaw?"

"Trying to get rid of me, Sir?"

"As a matter of fact, I have a briefing with SG-10 for their first solo mission in five minutes."

"Oh. Right. Cool. Well, I'll see if Daniel and Kershaw want to join me in the commissary. I hear there's cake," Jack said, smirking. "Wish Boyd good luck from me."

General Hammond chuckled, "Will do, Colonel."

Jack passed two other members of SG-10 on his way out, wished them luck and made his way down to Daniel's lab. Even though it was a Sunday, the archaeologist had been on base all day. It was highly likely he hadn't even gone home on Friday. Daniel had become a bit obsessed with the Ancient knowledge that had been downloaded into Jack's mind and kept poring over every bit of information he'd collected in the hopes of learning more.

When Jack reached level eighteen, he wasn't surprised to find Daniel scribbling down notes on…something. What did surprise him was the presence of Catherine. "Well, hello there. When did you get here, Catherine?"

"Oh," Daniel said, pushing up his glasses, "I called Catherine to help me go over all of this."

"Hello, Jack. Has Teal'c returned yet? Does he have news about Samantha?"

Jack held up his hands to forestall the two scientists. "One, Daniel, what are you doing with surveillance footage of me? And secondly, no, Teal'c hasn't returned yet, Catherine. I just came by to check on Daniel. See if he wanted to get some cake in the commissary."

"I thought you were waiting for Teal'c in the briefing room."

"Hammond kicked me out. What's with the surveillance video, Daniel?"

"Oh. Um, I'm going over the footage to note everything you did and said when you had the knowledge of the Ancients. This might help us learn more about them."

Jack rolled his eyes, but decided to let Daniel have his little project. It hadn't escaped his attention that Daniel had been looking for something outside of SG-1 to devote all his time and energy to after what happened with Sha're. He'd keep an eye on him, make sure the scientist didn't overdo it. But he'd let him have this pet project. "Hmm, fine. Just make sure to go home once in a while and sleep in an actual bed."

"I have an actual bed in my base quarters," Daniel protested.

"Catherine?"

She smiled and patted Daniel on the arm. "Jack is right. You haven't been getting enough rest lately. A full night's sleep will do you good. I will be here to assist you all week."

"Okay, okay."

Jack smirked when Daniel visibly deflated. Mission accomplished. "Good, because when Teal'c gets back we'll hopefully learn more about Bra'tac and possibly Captain Carter. If Moac's lead has a location, we'll have to investigate it and you already have that dig with SG-6 coming up."

Daniel glared at him and paused the recording he'd been watching. "Fine. I'll go to the commissary with you and tonight, I'll sleep in the bed in my apartment."

"And you won't be back here until tomorrow morning, oh eight hundred hours."

"Fine! You win, Jack."

He smirked and rubbed his hands together, "Excellent! Catherine, will you join us for some cake?"

"I'd love to," she said, smiling.

"Daniel, any idea where Kershaw is? That girl can use some cake, too."

"Uh, no. I didn't even know she was on base."

Jack snorted and shepherded the two scientists out the door. "You probably don't even know what day it is," he said.

"Do, too!"

"Don't."

"Do-"

Catherine stepped between them. "Now, boys, that's enough. Let's be civil."

Daniel blushed at her admonition, "Sorry, Catherine."

"He started it," Jack argued good-naturedly.

"Jack…" She let out a sigh of exasperation, but before she could say anything else, the klaxons went off.

"Attention all personnel: unauthorized stargate activation."

All three of them stopped in the middle of the corridor, looking at each other.

Jack started for the elevator, "That's got to be Teal'c!" He waited impatiently for the other two to catch up and then hit the button for level twenty-seven. The Jaffa would want to debrief right away, foregoing a shower and post-mission exam for now.

By the time the three of them entered the briefing room, SG-10 was gone and instead Kershaw and Teal'c were waiting with Hammond.

"There you are," Hammond said, gesturing for them to take a seat. "Let's get straight to it. Teal'c?"

"My meeting with Moac was most fruitful," Teal'c said, a small smile playing around his lips.

Jack waited for a beat to let him continue, but when nothing more was forthcoming he said, "And? Don't keep us waiting, T."

"Moac has met with Master Bra'tac some weeks ago and confirmed he is in good health."

"What about Samantha?" Catherine asked, before anyone else could inquire.

Teal'c turned to her and actually smiled. "Master Bra'tac told Moac she escaped the  _ha'taks_  with him and has indeed rid herself of the Goa'uld Herit."

"Oh, wow," Daniel exclaimed. "That must mean she really did fix Thor's Hammer."

"Moac did not specify."

"Could you elaborate on what else you and Moac discussed, Teal'c?"

He inclined his head, "I can, General Hammond. Master Bra'tac had somehow learned Moac and SG-1 survived the explosions of the  _ha'taks_  and wished to meet with us. However, this proved a challenge without radio communications or a garage door opener with identification code."

"And has Moac seen Captain Carter?"

"He has not, but Master Bra'tac has no reason to deceive us. Moac informed me Apophis and Klorel have declared Master Bra'tac a  _shol'va_  and wish to kill him and Captain Carter for their actions."

Kershaw cleared her throat and leaned closer to Teal'c. "So, there's no actual proof that Captain Carter is still alive? All we have so far, is Moac's word. I mean, he was the one who said she was Herit's host in the first place. Maybe it's not even her."

"But I believe some of you reported that this Herit knew things about Earth that only an Earthling could know," Hammond said, frowning.

"Indeed, I overheard her speak to the guards while we were in captivity."

Jack wondered why Kershaw was suddenly trying to poke holes in their theory about Sam. It wasn't even really a theory anymore. Up until just now, he could have sworn they were all convinced that Klorel and Apophis made Sam host to Herit. "Where's this coming from, Kershaw?"

The young Lieutenant looked surprised at his question and flushed when all eyes turned to her. "Uh, I just want to make sure this is not a trap, Sir. Moac knows we're invested in finding Master Bra'tac and Captain Carter and the circumstances of this meeting were kind of strange…"

"Moac has his own GDO and IDC, Lieutenant," Hammond said, "don't you think he would have used them to launch an attack on us if he was still loyal to Apophis?"

"I concur. No Jaffa loyal to the Goa'uld would speak of false gods to others. Moac is an honorable ally and I believe this is why Master Bra'tac chose him to be our liaison."

"General Hammond, if I may…"

"Of course, Doctor Langford."

Catherine smiled at him, before turning to Teal'c. "I agree with Mister Teal'c. Even without taking into account what Moac has done since helping SG-1 escape, we still know there was a woman from Earth who matched Samantha's description aboard that ship. And she was host to a Goa'uld. According to Moac she escaped with Master Bra'tac, which coincides with Jack's findings on Cimmeria. I honestly believe Samantha is the only person who would have known how to repair Thor's Hammer, aside from the Asgard themselves perhaps."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah and Thor told me it wasn't them after they got that Ancient knowledge out of my head. They hadn't even been aware their little hammer had broken down. I'm convinced it was Captain Carter."

"Maybe we should have asked for proof," Daniel mused aloud. "Like something only she or Master Bra'tac would know."

"There is no telling what Captain Carter may have told the Goa'uld during interrogations or while she was a host," Hammond reminded them.

"If it's Captain Carter, Sir," Kershaw said politely, but with determination.

Teal'c raised a brow at her statement, clearly also surprised by her sudden attitude. Then again, she was the only person who didn't have a connection with Sam, aside from Teal'c. But the big guy had a connection to Bra'tac  _and_  he'd been the one to overhear Herit speak about Earth stuff.

"According to Moac, Master Bra'tac wishes to meet with us to further discuss matters. Now that Master Bra'tac has renounced the Goa'uld, he will attempt to recruit more Rebel Jaffa. Apophis's fall from grace will aid him in it. A collaboration could be beneficial."

"And what about Captain Carter?" Jack asked, far more interested in Sam than in the old coot. Not that he didn't appreciate what Bra'tac had done for them aboard the mothership or how he was probably helping Sam survive off-world.

"Moac did not elaborate but I suspect she will not be present, O'Neill. It is not Bra'tac's way."

Hammond closed the folder in which he'd been making notes and looked straight at Teal'c. "But all of SG-1 will be meeting with Bra'tac?"

"Indeed."

"When, T?"

"Of this, I am unsure," Teal'c replied. "Moac will contact us with a date and location after he has spoken with Master Bra'tac."

Jack grimaced, "More cloak and dagger stuff?"

"Oh come on, Jack, it's for their own safety. It's not like Bra'tac can announce where he'll be a few weeks from now," Daniel said.

"Yeah, yeah," he grudgingly admitted. Of course it was a good strategy. Hell, he'd probably do the exact same thing. Jack suddenly wondered if that was Bra'tac's plan or Sam's. "I hope this doesn't mean we'll stop searching all the planets on the list Moac and Teal'c compiled for us, General."

Hammond shook his head. "No, I want you and the other SG teams to continue with the search, as long as it doesn't hinder the missions on the roster. There's no telling how long it'll be before we hear when SG-1 is expected to meet Master Bra'tac and we also can't dismiss the possibility of it not being true. It could be a wild goose chase."

* * *

**Dar Eshkalon**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

Sam looked up from the old shift she was stitching when Ife stopped gurgling with pleasure and she had to suppress a giggle at the face her daughter was making. Ife had gotten to the stage where she grabbed things and put them in her mouth without a second thought. This time, it was the seed head of a dandelion-like flower and the fine hairs covered her lips.

Placing the shift and tools aside, Sam reached for the baby and quickly wiped her mouth clean before Ife would start crying.

"There, all better," Sam said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Ife crowed and snuggled closer, hands reaching for Sam's locks.

Shifting on the grass, Sam made herself more comfortable by leaning back against a tree and repositioning her daughter in her arms. After the first few weeks, Ife had settled into the strange lifestyle they had and never seemed to mind all the moving, running, climbing and whatnot, as long as she was held close by Sam or Bra'tac. That had been a pleasant surprise to Sam, who'd been concerned with her own lack of experience in childrearing and the strange circumstances of living off-world and traveling from one planet to another in the span of a few days.

The baby simply trusted them to take care of her and if she disagreed, she'd cry. But in the past few weeks, Sam had gotten a lot better at the whole Jaffa potty training and Ife had started sleeping through the night, which all resulted in a happier baby. She rarely cried these days, although there was a lot of whimpering when she wanted something. The few times Ife cried she was usually on the ground to move around and explore things or alone in a makeshift bed, and wanted attention from someone.

But mostly, Ife was just content.

Sam smiled down at her, taking in her daughter's features. To her, she was just perfect. The blue eyes had turned darker, but that only made the blue more intense. Ife's dark hair had turned into light brown, which Bra'tac found worrying. He was convinced Ife would become a blonde too, after Sam had explained that baby's hair and eye color could change in their first year of life. Bra'tac had been surprised to learn this, because among the Jaffa children often kept the coloring they were born with and the same went for human slaves. Sam suspected that was because the ancestors of most of Apophis' human slaves were taken from Egypt.

Ife crowed again when Sam stroked her chubby cheek and Sam was suddenly struck by her daughter's smile. It was Jack's smile. When Ife had just been born, she didn't look much like Sam but since then she'd changed and started resembling her more. The smile definitely wasn't hers, though. No, it was Jack's. It felt like a lifetime ago when Sam had seen him last and the memories had started to blur, but the longer she looked at Ife the stronger Sam's mental picture of Jack became.

It was… comforting.

"Getting tired, sweetie?" She murmured when Ife yawned in the most adorable way. "I guess it's almost time for your nap."

She knew Bra'tac would probably return soon and had planned on introducing Moac – who Bra'tac was awaiting at the stargate – to Ife, but perhaps it was best to get her to nap. Sam rarely introduced her to strangers for fear of their reactions to her  _Tau'ri_  appearance and wasn't sure what to expect. Ife might be content with her and Bra'tac, but she could just as easily start crying at the top of her lungs with a stranger.

Reaching for the sling she'd discarded earlier in the afternoon, Sam pulled the top part of her tunic down, wrapped the sling around her body and placed Ife in it before righting her clothes again. "Let's make a deal, sweetie. You take a nap and I'll fix this shift before Bra'tac returns, okay?"

It didn't take her long to finish repairing the hole in the fabric and she laid it with the small dress she'd made for Ife earlier that day. Ife was getting bigger and while clothes a tad too small weren't a real issue on balmy planets, they would become an issue once they went to colder places. Bra'tac had already skinned another large animal a few days ago and its skin was drying in the sun. He'd mentioned it was for a pelt for him and a smaller one for Ife, for when they moved on from Dar Eshkalon. They were only on the planet to meet Moac, but had arrived a few days earlier.

Sam sighed and wondered how Ife would fare on colder planets. The one she'd been born on had been cold, but ever since most planets' climates reminded her of summers back home, with the occasional tropical storms. When she glanced down at her daughter, she was surprised to find her blinking right back at her. "Why are you not napping?"

No response was forthcoming, except for some drooling.

Taking a nap during the day would help Ife sleep through the night, so Sam started rubbing soothing circles on the little girl's back and rested her own cheek against the wispy baby hairs. "How about that lullaby Bra'tac sings for you, hm?" Sam took a moment to recall the words, before she softly started singing. " _Kel ma kree, sha'shan, kel na t'ai, or'intani, kel han'dai iti sha'shan han'dai_ …"

"It is not much farther."

Sam whipped her head around to try and catch a glimpse of Bra'tac, but she couldn't see him yet. He was coming through the trees behind her and when Sam closed her eyes and focused, she could sense another Jaffa with him. Moac. All of a sudden, she felt nervous. The last time she had seen him, she'd pretended to be Herit. For him, the last time he'd seen her –  _Sam_  – would be when she was his prisoner, the rest was Herit. Looking down, Sam was relieved to see Ife had fallen asleep and rearranged her tunic's neckline to hide the baby as well as she could.

When Bra'tac and Moac appeared from the forest, Sam had gotten to her feet and stepped forward to greet them, recalling he spoke little English. " _Chel hol._ "

"It is you," Moac said, his tone a mixture of awe and fear. The indecision was written all over his face as he stood there, frozen yet wanting to move. Finally, he stepped towards her, frowning and automatically leaning down as if to kneel.

" _Na'nay baraka_ ,  _mak na'onak_ ," she said, gesturing for him to stop. "I am not a Goa'uld."

Moac looked at her with wide eyes and nodded slowly as he straightened up. "Master Bra'tac told me," he said, in halting English.

Sam was pleased to know she wasn't the only one who'd brushed up on her foreign languages, because while she understood Goa'uld and the Jaffa dialect better due to Herit it was difficult to hold long conversations in them. "We are equals now."

"I do not understand. How can this be?"

"I know the Goa'uld say nothing of the host survives, but that's simply not true," she said.

Bra'tac stepped closer now that their introductions were over. "It is as it was with Klorel when O'Neill and Teal'c attacked him," he said. " _Sām_  knew of a way to rid herself of the parasite called Herit."

"Herit is no more?"

"Oh, she's gone," Sam said, nodding. "Dead."

When Moac continued to stare at her, Bra'tac took over the conversation as if he wasn't there. "Moac has informed me of what occurred during his meeting with Teal'c. It was a success. He has returned to the  _Tau'ri_  to relay the information about our survival and express our wish to meet with all of SG-1."

"When?"

Her question brought Moac out of his stupor. "Master Bra'tac will use the  _nu techet her ta'ami_  to inform me of the location when he is prepared, my Lady."

"It's just Sam nowadays, Moac," she gently corrected him.

" _Sām_ ," Bra'tac repeated.

Moac smiled at his mentor. "Indeed,  _Sām."_

She had long ago given up on correcting Bra'tac, so she wasn't even going to bother with Moac. When Ife squirmed, Sam figured she couldn't hide her from Moac for long. He was loyal and would probably be in touch with them more often and, thanks to Bra'tac, he also knew Shan'auc who was aware of Ife's birth. He'd probably find out eventually, so Sam decided it would be best to inform him herself, especially now that he was still impressed by her. "Um, there's someone else I'd like you to meet, Moac."

"Who?"

" _Sa't ent_   _Sām_ ," Bra'tac said, as Sam uncovered Ife's head.

Moac stared at the sleeping baby with its head resting against Sam's chest. " _Sefi ent Klorel_?  _Harsesis_?"

"No," Sam said resolutely. "I was already with child when I was captured and she's human.  _Tau'ri_."

"It is true." Bra'tac grabbed Moac by the shoulder and started a speech in too rapid Jaffa dialect for Sam to understand, but the gist of it was the same as he told Shan'auc; the baby's existence had to remain a secret, from friend and foe. No one but them and Shan'auc knew and Moac must never talk of it again.

Sam waited until the men were finished and Moac had promised to die a thousand deaths before he would tell a soul about Ife's existence. "Good. Thank you. Now, as for this meeting…"

"We will decide on a location ourselves," Bra'tac said. "I will speak with O'Neill and Teal'c to learn more about their intentions for you and the child."

"And I will observe from a distance," she said, repeating what they'd discussed earlier. Sam wanted certainty before showing herself, but at the same time she found it hard to believe SG-1 would betray her. Still, precautions needed to be taken, even if she was looking forward to laying eyes on Jack again. "I can't meet them straight away. For one, someone needs to watch my daughter. Secondly, I have no idea if they can be trusted yet."


	13. Chapter 13

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**October 17, 1998**

The corridors were void of personnel as Jack made his way up to the commissary. Just a few hours ago they'd sent the remains of Apophis through the stargate to another Goa'uld, Sokar. If it had been up to Jack, they'd interrogated the snakehead before tossing him back to the sharks, but unfortunately the Goa'uld had died before he could give them anything. The host had stayed alive for a bit longer but the poor guy had been so confused and pained that Jack actually felt relief when he passed away.

Teal'c hadn't been as affected by the whole thing as Jack expected, but he supposed that was a good sign. The Jaffa had shown no sympathy to Apophis or any lingering doubts about the snake's godhood. He saw them for what they were; parasites who used advanced technology and not gods that used magic. Most of the hostility towards Apophis had come from Daniel. Jack couldn't blame him, considering Sha're's fate but it had still surprised him from his normally kindhearted friend. Kershaw had sided with them, having seen firsthand what Apophis was capable of, but she'd left after Doctor Fraiser voiced her moral objections to the trade with Sokar.

Jack wasn't worried about her or Teal'c. But he knew Daniel and suspected he had a hard time dealing with what happened the past couple of days. So, after wrapping up his meeting with Hammond Jack had decided to look for Daniel. He hadn't been in his lab and a call topside confirmed he was still on base, so the commissary was his next stop.

To his surprise, he found Daniel and Fraiser sitting at a table together, deep in discussion. He hesitated for a moment, before walking over. "Hey."

"Colonel."

"Hi Jack," Daniel said, with a small smile. "I thought you'd gone home already."

He shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, adopting a casual pose. "Nah. Just finished up with Hammond. Wanted to see how you were doing."

"Janet and I were just having some coffee."

"Well, I'm glad to see your compassion is aimed at someone who actually deserves it, Doc."

Fraiser glared at him, in much the same way as she had while caring for Apophis. "As a physician, it's my duty to put my patient's welfare first."

Jack returned her glare, "And as an Earthling, especially knowing what you know, you should have been rejoicing."

"Um, guys," Daniel spoke up, "I think maybe we should drop it. Apophis is dead."

"For now."

"What's that supposed to mean, Jack?"

He sighed and silently wondered about Daniel's naivety. The knowing look on the Doc's face told him she'd already come to the same conclusion. "Well, this Sokar probably has a sarcophagus. I doubt he was threatening to destroy Earth just to get Apophis' corpse."

"Oh."

"But we don't know for sure," Fraiser was quick to say, reaching out to Daniel. "And you were there to give his host a proper funeral rite."

"Let's just hope we haven't set a precedent or next time it might be Hathor, Heru'ur or that Sokar knocking on the iris and requesting asylum," Jack said.

Doctor Fraiser rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I doubt you would have said the same thing if it had been Klorel, Colonel."

She left the possibility of Sam and Sha're up in the air, but Jack knew what she meant. "No, him I would have gladly taken to Cimmeria to get de-snaked."

"I believe that to be double standards, Sir."

"Yeah, well, wouldn't be the first time," he replied.

Daniel sighed wistfully. "I'd hoped he could tell me where Sha're was, but I guess I should have known better."

Jack suddenly felt bad about venting his frustrations over the situation to Daniel and the Doc, especially since he'd also asked Apophis about Sam when it was just the two of them. The snakehead had taken great pleasure in telling him about 'the  _Tau'ri_  female' and, in hindsight, he wished he hadn't asked. "He was never going to tell us anything, Daniel. Apophis just wanted us to give him a new host or take us down with him when Sokar came knocking on the iris."

"At least you can take comfort in the fact that she wasn't captured alongside Apophis," Fraiser said, squeezing Daniel's hand. "He claimed to love Amaunet and surely would have told us if she was in the hands of Sokar, even if it was just to use your feelings for Sha're to help him or his mate."

"Yeah, we don't need Apophis to find her."

Daniel nodded, smiling. "Yeah, you're right, Jack. We've already made contact with Sam and who's to say we won't be able to do the same with Sha're? We just need to find her and bring her to Cimmeria."

"Maybe Captain Carter or Master Bra'tac can tell us more about where Amaunet might be hiding."

"The Doc's right," Jack said. "We just need to wait for Moac's message about the meeting with Bra'tac."

"What if he tried to contact us during the black hole incident?" Daniel asked, suddenly looking worried again. "We were incommunicado for over two weeks."

Jack had already considered the possibility but they had no way to verify if they'd even been reachable during that time. Catherine theorized that anyone dialing Earth would have gotten the equivalent of a phone's busy signal. "Then he'll try again. It's in Bra'tac and Captain Carter's best interest to get in touch with us, after all."

"Yeah."

Jack clapped his hands together and smirked. "How about we call the rest of the team and ask them to join us for coffee and pie? I think we can all use a break now."

* * *

**Kresh'taa Camp**   
**Unknown Planet**   
**Milky Way Galaxy**

The wind had picked up and Sam shivered, despite her warm robe. Under it, Ife was half-seated and half-resting against her, with just her mop of dark hair peeking out of the robe's neckline, and she snuggled closer to her in response. The rain and brisk wind made for unpleasant weather, the first they'd had in months. Sam wished they hadn't left their previous camp for the new planet.

Bra'tac had said it was time to move on though, after they hadn't heard anything from Moac in over a few weeks. If Apophis or Klorel had found out about Moac then they might be able to trace his last communication with Bra'tac and come looking for the  _shol'va_. So, a couple of days ago they moved. In the past few decades, Bra'tac had visited the planet a few times but wasn't very familiar with it or its Jaffa communities. That made it a good place to hide out because chances of anyone recognizing him – or her – were very slim.

The camp itself was different from ones they'd lived in before. It seemed to be more of a community, with all the outcasts helping each other. There seemed to be plenty of food to go around for everyone and while they wore mostly rags, they all seemed pretty content. Or at least not as miserable as the banished Jaffa she'd seen in other camps.

The elderly woman under whose awning Sam was sitting came rushing over, holding some kind of cloth above her head for the rain and two bowls in her other arm. She placed the largest bowl on the table where Sam had been cutting up purple and bitterer version of carrots and pushed it in her direction. It contained flour and what she assumed was water with some other ingredients…

" _Ā_ _tekh_ ," the woman said.

Sam obediently reached for it and prepared herself for more kneading. Apparently, it was universally decided that since her hands were larger than those of the average female Jaffa, she was the best person to knead dough. Her fingers were still aching from all the bowls she'd gone over yesterday, but complaining wasn't an option, not when there was free food and little interest in Sam or her child.

Then, the Jaffa smiled and grabbed a piece of fruit from the other bowl, offering it. " _Ȧn sefi_."

Sam returned the smile and inclined her head, to show her appreciation. So far, she hadn't tried to give Ife solid foods yet, but the little girl had been trying to grab some of Sam's food the past couple of days. Bra'tac had even commented on it over breakfast that morning, suggesting she feed Ife some of the berries from her bowl. " _Mak maāmaā hit_ ," she said, before undoing the knot at her neck to part the top of her robe and uncover Ife's head.

" _Nes ȧu ān ḥerā mandisa sefi_ ," the woman complimented, as she watched Ife.

" _Ṭi Ife, hit baba't_ ," Sam said, bringing the fruit to her daughter's lips.

Ife smacked her lips and cautiously darted out her tongue for a taste, before crowing and opening her mouth eagerly. A look of pleasure washed over the little girl's face when Sam popped the soft fruit in her mouth.

" _Pafi ȧu āau men_ ," Sam said, praising her daughter after wiping some drool and juice from her chin.

The woman gave Sam some more instructions about the dough she had to make, before saying her goodbyes and handing Ife another soft berry-like fruit.

Sam waited until her daughter had eaten her treat before cleaning her face and covering her with the robe again. She didn't want the baby to get cold. Once Ife was all snuggled up again, Sam returned her attention to the task at hand and started kneading dough.

More dough was dropped off by a young girl before she'd even finished with the first batch, so she kept going, until Ife became restless and started whimpering. Sam tried to comfort her but quickly realized it was time for her nap… except there was no one to watch her, because Bra'tac was off hunting with the few male Jaffa living in the camp and she didn't trust anyone else to watch her daughter.

Sam maneuvered Ife back into the sling and whispered to her in the hopes of quieting her. At first, she told her random things about Earth, then spoke of what their lives would be like if they were there and eventually moved on to Jack. No one knew he was Ife's father and Sam wanted to keep it that way. She hadn't even told Bra'tac, although it wouldn't surprise her if he had his suspicions from what he may have overheard from Klorel. Still, except the one time he broached the subject of Ife's paternity and she'd shot him down, he hadn't said anything about it.

Soon, Bra'tac would meet with him and the rest of SG-1, giving Sam the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Jack from afar. She had no illusions about the situation and knew that even if they believed her, it would take time before she could go back to Earth – if it was at all possible. But until then, she was going to keep the truth from everyone.

" _Sām_."

Surprised, she looked over her shoulder and saw Bra'tac approaching. "Oh, you're back already. Did you guys catch anything?"

"Indeed," he said, as he reached her table.

"Ife just had her first real food," she said, smiling. "Some berries."

Bra'tac grinned, looking down at where just the top of the baby's head was visible. "Good."

"The woman to whom this tent belongs gave it to me for her. Ife liked it."

"Do not accept  _ser_  for the child," he warned her. "It is made of  _ka't_  milk. Most Jaffa cannot tolerate it without the aid of their symbiote and prolonged  _kel'noreem_. Those without a symbiote, such as  _sefi_ , will be unwell, but it is far more dangerous for humans."

It took Sam a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean lactose intolerant? I don't think we have to worry about that," she said. "It's common in certain cultures, but no one in my family suffers from it and I doubt it's any different for Ife's father."

"I thought a word of caution would be wise as I have witnessed the effects on young offspring of Apophis' human slaves."

"Thank you," she said.

He inclined his head, before retrieving the small communication from his pocket. "I received word from Moac while we were hunting."

The last they'd heard from Moac was that he couldn't dial Earth. There appeared to be some kind of problem with establishing a connection. Sam had been itching to investigate but Bra'tac had stopped her, which was probably for the best. "Has he made contact?"

"Not yet. He is underway to Chulak on a new  _ha'tak_  belonging to Klorel. Apophis had been captured by a Goa'uld named Sokar and Klorel sent some of their loyal Jaffa as well as Moac to retrieve him. Many died but unfortunately, Apophis fled Sokar's base of operations."

"Does he know where to?"

Bra'tac shook his head in a negative. "There was speculation he may have turned to the  _Tau'ri_  for sanctuary."

"Holy Hannah," Sam gasped. "If he's requested asylum then he'd be granted certain rights as a prisoner of war."

"What does this mean?"

"I'm not sure. Depending on who makes the decision and what kind of information Apophis has to offer, they might have to keep him. And protect him from Sokar."

He narrowed his eyes at her in displeasure. "Why would the  _Tau'ri_  undertake such foolish action?"

"I don't know. Like I said, it depends on who's calling the shots and what Apophis can offer them in return. However, if Sokar threatens to attack Earth, they'll probably cut him loose."

"They will deliver him to Sokar so that he may torture him?" Bra'tac asked, smirking.

Sam shrugged, "Maybe."

"Hm," he said, "it matters not. Moac will attempt to contact the  _Tau'ri_  once more to inform them of the location of our choosing."

* * *

**O'Neill Residence**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**

It was getting late, close to midnight and Jack was trying to decide what to do. There was a game on the TV but it didn't really hold his interest and he'd just finished his beer. He could go to bed or get a new beer and channel surf some more…

He grimaced when he got up from his sofa, his back a bit stiff. A leftover from his injuries a week ago, when SG-10 had traveled to a planet that was getting sucked into a black hole and he'd been forced to detonate a shape charge near the gate at Catherine's instructions to disconnect the wormhole. Cromwell, the guy who'd left him behind in Iraq all those years ago, had helped but died before they could set the charge and Jack had been in too close proximity to get away unscathed. The minor cuts from shards of glass – they ought to get shatterproof instead of bulletproof windows in the control room – had mostly healed but his body had been knocked around a bit, which was still noticeable these days when he'd been sitting still for a while. Fraiser had only just cleared him for active duty again before the mission to retrieve Apophis.

Of course, if he'd known the communication came from Apophis, he might not have insisted on the CMO clearing him. No, at the time they all thought Moac – or maybe Sam – had somehow found a way to send a communication on their radio frequency, to discuss when and where the meeting with Bra'tac would take place.

Jack's train of thought was interrupted by the doorbell. He frowned, wondering who'd be stopping by so late. His teammates were the first to come to mind but they didn't use the doorbell and he'd only left them on base a few hours ago. Ah well, might as well check it out, he thought.

He dropped off his empty beer bottle in the dining room on his way to the front door. The blinds next to the door were closed so he couldn't see who was on his porch, but Jack figured anyone with bad intentions probably wouldn't announce their presence so he unlocked the door. Upon opening it, he came face to face with Jacob Carter. "Um, hi. What brings you by at this hour, General?"

"O'Neill," General Carter said by way of greeting. "I was in the neighborhood."

"I thought you lived in DC."

The General looked irritated, as if he already regretted stopping by. "Well, I'm here now. And so are you. Are you going to let me in?"

"Um, I guess. Sure. Come on in."

"Thanks."

Jack chose to ignore the man's tone and stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure."

"Beer?"

General Carter went straight to the living room, unbuttoning his coat as he went. "I'll take something stronger, if you have it."

He didn't show his surprise and instead poured them both a whiskey, handing the superior officer one before reclaiming his seat on the sofa. "So…"

"You're a hard man to track down, O'Neill."

"Well, you found me," he said, slowly.

The General narrowed his eyes at him, gauging him. "Did George tell you I was in town?"

"No."

"I saw him last week."

Jack raised a brow, wondering where this was leading to. "Okay…"

"Actually, I've been here for almost a month, now. I went to see George when I first got here, but he wasn't available. I wanted to check in, so I went to the mountain but Norad Road had been closed off. Stayed that way for over two weeks and the whole time I couldn't reach him or locate you."

"Like I said in DC, we keep busy at Cheyenne Mountain, General."

Jacob Carter took a swig of whiskey and smiled in appreciation. "Call me Jacob, I'm not here on official business."

"Sure… Jacob."

"I'm renting an apartment on the other side of town."

"Oh."

Jacob rolled his eyes but took another sip of his drink before he broke the awkward silence. "Do you know why I'm here, Jack?"

"Nope. Don't have a clue."

"I want to know what the hell happened to my daughter."

That was pretty much what Jack had expected, but he hated the idea of having to lie – again – to the man. "Sir…"

"We both know Samantha didn't die in some kind of training exercise! She was the best in her class at the Academy and passed all her training with flying colors," he said, in a raised voice. "And I told you to call me Jacob."

"Look, Jacob, I know this is a difficult time for you-"

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Jack." He made an impatient gesture with his hand before polishing off his whiskey. "I want the truth and not some lame excuse."

"Hammond-"

"George won't tell me shit, except that it's classified. Now tell me, what could possibly be classified about a training exercise for deep space radar telemetry?"

Jack sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. What could he possibly say to this man? "You know I can't tell you that."

"You know something, Jack? I've got two stars on my shoulder and am pushing important papers around at the Pentagon, yet I couldn't find anything about what goes on under Cheyenne Mountain and no one else could tell me about it either. What I do know, is that whatever you guys are doing there, it's not deep space radar telemetry. And I don't know who came up with that cover, but it's a pretty bad one."

"Jacob…"

"What, are you gonna tell me that I should know better than to try to dig into classified operations? George already did that and guess what, it didn't do squat. My daughter's casket is still empty and I don't have any answers. Am I supposed to believe that she fell off that damned mountain during your little training exercises and that's why they couldn't find her body?"

This was exactly what Jack had been worried about since he found out Captain Carter's father was a general – even before he knew she was his Sam. Some things couldn't be kept from those with years of experience in the military and a man like Jacob Carter wasn't going to accept some poor cover story about the death of his only daughter. "I'm not going to tell you that, because I think we both know you won't believe a word of it. No matter who says it or how often you're told."

"Well, that's the first smart thing anyone has said to me since I heard about Sam's death," Jacob said tersely. "How about a refill, Jack?"

Jack got up and refilled his glass, leaving his own half full one on the table. More alcohol probably wouldn't do any of this any good, not tonight. "There you go."

"Thanks." Jacob swirled his glass around before taking another sip. "Do you know why I came to you?"

"Because you tried with Hammond and he couldn't tell you anything?"

"Because I looked you up and managed to get the unredacted version of your personnel file."

Jack knew what that meant. "Oh."

The General nodded slowly, smirking. "Yeah, I've read about your military career and if I didn't already have doubts about your cover story, I would have gotten them afterwards. A man like you as the second-in-command of a deep space radar telemetry base? I don't think so."

"I don't know what to tell you, Jacob."

"You can tell me the truth," he said, looking at him intently. "There was more in your file, of course. I know what happened to your boy, so you know what it's like for me to lose Sam."

Jack closed his eyes at the mention of Charlie. "That's playing dirty."

"I know and I'd apologize, except I'm past caring," Jacob said. "I've got lymphoma and the doctors say I only have a few months tops before I die, Jack. All I want to know is what happened to my little girl."

"Christ, Jacob." No wonder he looked older than his age and seemed to be thinner every time Jack ran into him. A closer look showed that the man's clothes were loose around his frame and his coat looked at least two sizes too big.

"Just tell me the truth. A father shouldn't outlive his child. Who cares about clearance when I'll probably be dead next week? The only one I could tell is God, because I don't plan on seeing the other guy and I think God already knows what's going on under that damned mountain of yours."

Jack's mind was racing, weighing his options and trying to decide on the best course of action. Damn Jacob for playing on his emotions! Then again, if their roles had been reversed, he probably would have done the same thing. "You're right," he started, "Sam didn't go on a training exercise."

"Well, I'd already figured that one out on my own," Jacob groused. "I spoke to her a few weeks before she died and she told me about a transfer request that had been denied. Last I heard, she was still working at the Pentagon."

"She pretty much transferred overnight, because we were short a few people for an important mission. Sam fit the bill of the kind of person we were looking for; a scientist with military training and combat experience and she'd already applied before, like you said. But the higher-ups thought she was too valuable at the time."

Jacob's eyes widened in shock. "Jesus! You sent her on a spec ops mission? A woman, on the frontlines? Who authorized it and where the hell did you send her?!"

Jack winced, reminded of his own reaction to learning Hammond had already sent out the inexperienced SG-7 – and he'd been aware of the dangers of off-world travel, whereas Jacob Carter was probably thinking something closer to home. "I can't give you the details, Jacob. But yeah, she was sent on a dangerous mission that required her expertise and she didn't make it home."

"And she didn't make it home," he repeated angrily. "I checked and her CO returned, but he was mysteriously transferred to Utah after a few months. What happened, did he leave her behind? Is that why I had to bury an empty casket?!"

"She was taken hostage." Jack stayed calm and took the glass of whiskey from Jacob before he continued, "and due to circumstances, was considered irretrievable."

"Wait… are you telling me my little girl is still alive and you left her there, after what happened to you in Iraq?!"

Holding up his hand, he tried to explain. "Look, when we found out, I went back with my team. Hammond managed to get approval for a S&R mission, but we couldn't find her. We found evidence of an abduction… and her blood. A lot of it. Our CMO said it was unlikely for Sam to have survived her injuries unless she got immediate and advanced medical attention."

"But-"

"Please, let me finish, Jacob."

The older man nodded, looking even older than when he arrived. "Okay."

"There was no trace of where Sam had been taken and we couldn't find anything for weeks. Her status was changed and she was presumed dead."

"And I buried an empty casket."

"About six months ago, we came across someone who'd seen Sam. After we lost track of her. She was still a, er, hostage at the time, but there was a big explosion and we barely made it out alive – and Sam had disappeared again."

Jacob rubbed a hand over his balding head and let out a deep sigh. "That what you got your medal for?"

Jack frowned, "Yeah, for the mission's outcome."

"Sam?"

"We kept searching for leads, but didn't find anything. Up until a few weeks ago. Our contact who'd seen her had heard about her again via someone else. He got in touch with us and he's trying to arrange a meeting with his informant, who claims to know where Sam is."

"How reliable is this intel?"

Jack made a vague gesture with his hand and shrugged. "One of the guys on my team knows the informant our contact is talking about, but we don't have proof that any of it is true. The informant disappeared around the same time as Sam and we suspect she's with him, but we won't know for sure until we meet with him."

Jacob looked stunned by the new information. "But you think she's still alive?"

"We've got reason to believe so, yeah," he said, cautiously.

"Where?"

"I told you-"

Jacob shook his head and interrupted him. "No, I mean where did she go missing? What country is she in? Iraq?"

"It doesn't matter because-"

"The hell it doesn't! I know how the military works, Jack, and I'm pretty sure you do too. No one will be sent after Sam if the mission isn't deemed viable or if the risk outweighs my daughter's life. But me? I'm already dying. They're reviewing my medical retirement. I can go out there and find her. I can do it, but I need to know where to look, Jack!"

"Aw hell, Jacob," Jack said. "I can't- that's not an option. No. We're close, I promise. We just need to wait for our contact to give word of the when and where of our meeting and then we'll have more answers."

"But I need to do something!"

"And what if you get yourself killed, huh? Or, worse, you stop with treatment and your lymphoma kills you, just before we find Sam. What then? She's going to need you when we bring her back, Jacob. Your daughter needs you here."

Jacob's eyes teared up and he reached for his drink, shakily taking a sip. "I need to fight for her, Jack. I can't sit around waiting for someone to  _maybe_  go after her in a few weeks' time. I know how it goes with negotiations and mission planning. Even if you got her location tomorrow, there'd be weeks of prep work to do."

"Yeah, Sam needs you to fight. For your health. She needs you to get treatment so you'll be around when she get back."

Slowly, Jacob's shoulders sagged in defeat and he whispered, "Okay. Okay, I'll stay, get my treatment to postpone the inevitable and you will keep me in the loop. I don't care what George says, Jack. You're gonna tell me the moment you know something about my little girl."

"I will," he promised. "I will, Jacob."


	14. Chapter 14

**Stargate Command**   
**Colorado Springs, CO**   
**November 23, 1998**

General Hammond stopped him on his way to the control room and took him aside. "You ready for this, Jack?"

He shrugged and adjusted his MP5. "Well, we cut it a little close there with the previous mission, but I think we all want to know what Bra'tac has to tell us about Captain Carter."

"Well, it was either that solar flare or one sending you back a few centuries ago," Hammond said, chuckling.

"And then there wouldn't have been a Cassandra to send us back to the correct time."

"Exactly, son. I knew there wouldn't be much time between your return and the planned meeting with Bra'tac, but I couldn't tell you why today wasn't a good date for it without revealing more than intended. I trusted you'd manage to figure out what the dates on the note meant and would get back in time."

Jack nodded, although he had to admit to himself it had been a close call. At first, the note had puzzled him and he hadn't made the connection until it was almost too late. He briefly wondered if that meant Hammond thought he was a little bit too invested in finding Sam, but discarded the notion and decided his team was lucky that he'd read up on Sam and remembered her research into alternative applications for the stargate. "Well, at least I got a cool leather jacket out of it," he said, smirking.

Hammond looked at him indulgently. "And I'll put those five hundred and thirty-nine dollars and fifty cents you owe me to good use. Maybe add it to the budget for this year's Christmas party."

"Right. Well, I should get going, Sir. My team's waiting for me and I don't want Bra'tac to think we stood him up."

"Be careful."

Jack threw him a sloppy salute and headed for the gate room. His team was indeed waiting for him, with Teal'c looking particularly excited, which was just… a strange sight. "Okay, let's go, before Bra'tac changes his mind."

"I do not believe that to occur, O'Neill."

"Oh, you never know," he said, before turning back to the control room. "Dial 'er up, Walter."

The technician beamed and started his countdown.

After the gate activated and the kawoosh sprung forward, Hammond spoke over the PA system. "Godspeed, SG-1."

Jack gestured for Teal'c to take point and led his team go up the ramp before following them. The planet on which they exited the gate looked like any other planet they'd visited. Lots of trees and no real infrastructure. It was warm, too. "Under whose domain does this planet fall again?"

"Um, no one," Daniel said.

"Indeed. It is a planet with no particular resources for the Goa'uld."

Kershaw ran a hand through her hair and looked around, taking in the surroundings. "Not even humans?"

"None."

Jack didn't mind an abandoned planet to meet. It was safer than one with natives who might not like aliens visiting their land. "You've been here before, right Teal'c?"

"Many years ago, when I was still a  _chal'tii_  under Master Bra'tac's tutelage."

"Well, that's one sign that Moac is speaking the truth about Bra'tac," he said. "You take point and get us to the meeting spot. I'll bring up the rear."

Daniel hung back a bit as their two teammates started walking. "Do you really think it could be a trap?"

"No, I trust Moac. But you can't be too careful. I mean, we thought Apophis' communication was from Moac too and look where that mess got us."

"Yeah, you're right. I hadn't looked at it that way, yet. I can't help but wonder if Bra'tac really knows where Sam is or what happened to her, though. Don't you think it's strange that she's not meeting with us herself?"

Jack shrugged, scanning their surroundings as they followed Teal'c. "No, it's a sound tactic. Grieves' story about what happened on their mission is sounding more and more unlikely now that we know he was involved in the operation that stole the Touchstone. If he betrayed Sam, then she doesn't know if we can be trusted."

"Of course she can trust us!"

"Yeah, she can, but how would she know? She got pulled into that mission really fast and unexpected, she might think it was a setup from the start."

Daniel frowned, looking troubled by the suggestion. "Don't you think that's a bit paranoid?"

"No," he said resolutely. "She's been betrayed by her CO, captured by the Goa'uld, interrogated and ended up with a snake in her head. I'd say we're lucky she's still thinking clearly enough to take precautions like setting up a meet with Bra'tac."

"But what if it's all a ruse?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "You really think Bra'tac would go through all that trouble after getting us sprung from that cell aboard Klorel's ship?"

"And if it's not Bra'tac and Moac is being used or in on it?"

"That's why we brought weapons," he said, shrugging.

Kershaw turned around to look at them, walking backwards to follow Teal'c. "You really think it's Captain Carter, Sir?"

The thought of finally getting an answer to that question and getting confirmation from a reliable source about her condition made Jack smile. "Sure do, Lieutenant. Cassandra did tell us it was Captain Carter who explained to her how to send us back to the present. For that to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, Captain Carter's got to come back to Earth and teach our Cassandra what to do."

"Oh, that's right," Daniel said, nodding in understanding. "That hadn't even crossed my mind, although Catherine called it a self-fulfilling prophecy in our debrief."

"Well, I'll believe it when I see it," Kershaw said, before turning back around.

After a few more minutes of walking, Daniel came closer and nudged him. "Speaking of Cassandra, are you going to attend Janet's Thanksgiving dinner?"

The Doc had invited him, but Jack didn't really enjoy the holidays. Not anymore, not since Charlie died. But he didn't want Cassie to think he didn't care, so he might just go. Of course, depending on the outcome of the meeting with Bra'tac, he might just spend it with Jacob Carter to inform him about his daughter's fate – he didn't make promises lightly. "Maybe. Depends on what's gonna happen today."

"What, you think Bra'tac will arrange a meeting with Sam in the next few days?"

"No, Daniel," he sighed, "but I do think it's time to stop talking now. Don't want to tip off anyone in case it  _is_  a trap."

Daniel held up his hands in surrender and quickly took a few steps forward, to fall back in the formation they usually took on recon.

The next hour was spent in silence, as Teal'c led the way to the meeting place Moac had communicated with them. Apparently, it held meaning to Teal'c and Bra'tac, so Jack wasn't too suspicious. He called for a short break to rehydrate – it was hot on this planet – and Kershaw and Teal'c used the opportunity to nibble on a power bar.

"Do all Jaffa have a penchant for hot planets or is it just you and Bra'tac, T?"

Teal'c raised his brow and looked at him inquisitively. "Would you prefer a colder planet with precipitation?"

"No, no," Daniel said before Jack could even reply, "this is fine. Actually, it reminds me a bit of Abydos. Just without the sand."

"No sand is a definite plus," Jack commented. "How much farther is the rendezvous point?"

"I am unsure of the distance, O'Neill, but we should arrive within half an hour."

"Good, let's get going then."

True to his word, Teal'c delivered them to a large rock at hip level half an hour later. "We have arrived."

"I don't see Master Bra'tac anywhere," Kershaw remarked, craning her neck to look around at the open space.

Jack pulled out his monocular and, after quickly determining a couple of vantage points, checked out their surroundings with it. "That old coot is probably watching us."

"Indeed," Teal'c said, "he should arrive shortly."

"When he gets here, I want Daniel and Kershaw to hang back and keep an eye on things. Just to make sure no one's trying to use our meeting to get rid of SG-1 and Bra'tac at the same time," Jack told his team, while pointing out the lookout positions.

They waited for another ten minutes or so before Teal'c spotted his old mentor. Bra'tac didn't change his pace as he neared, looking like he had all the time in the world.

" _Tek'ma'te_ , Bra'tac," Teal'c greeted him, holding out his hand.

The older Jaffa reciprocated and clasped arms, "Hello again, old friend."

"Good to see you're still alive and kicking, Bra'tac," Jack said.

"And you, O'Neill."

"Thank you for arranging this meeting," Daniel said, ever the diplomat.

Bra'tac nodded slowly, eyes taking in the archeologist and Kershaw. "It is in both our interests."

Jack saw that Kershaw was about to ask something and figured it would change the tone of this meeting considering her attitude about it up until now, so he waved his hand. "Why don't you and Daniel take up position, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir." She turned on her heel with obvious reluctance but went over to the assigned spots with Daniel.

"So, how did you escape Klorel's mothership? Moac didn't tell us."

"I escaped through the stargate, O'Neill," Bra'tac replied, grinning. "With Captain Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force."

Jack's heart skipped a beat at hearing her full name and rank, but he reminded himself that anyone who'd interrogated her would know it. "Yeah? How'd you do that? If I recall correctly, she's not particularly small and with that Goa'uld in her head, she'd be a lot more difficult to overpower."

Teal'c looked perturbed by his questioning, "O'Neill-"

"It matters not, old friend," Bra'tac said, holding up a hand as he interrupted Teal'c. "She told me these questions would be asked."

"She did now, did she?"

"Indeed."

Jack leaned on the big rock between them and tapped his fingers on it. "So, how did you go from 'locating Klorel's mate' to escaping with her through the gate?"

"It was she who prepared to leave and I chose to accompany her, to find out what her plans were."

"She, as in Herit?" When Bra'tac simply stared at him, Jack felt his mouth turn dry. "Captain Carter?"

"Indeed."

Teal'c jumped in, equally stunned. "How is that possible?"

Bra'tac let the silence drag on for a moment, watching them both before he seemed to come to a decision. "You know her, hm? She is exceedingly headstrong and strong-willed."

"Are you saying Captain Carter regained control from Herit?"

"Perhaps she manipulated the Goa'uld, in a similar manner as Kendra," Teal'c offered.

Jack glanced at the old coot and suddenly felt like he was being tested. Again, a good tactic. He figured they didn't have anything to lose, so he decided to go all in. "We know you two went to Cimmeria. She fixed Thor's Hammer and got rid of Herit, right?"

Bra'tac smiled appreciatively and nodded. "You are correct, O'Neill."

"So, you told us why you went with her and I can understand you wanting to see proof that Goa'uld can die while the host lives, but why are still with her? If that's the case."

"She is a remarkable female, especially for a  _Tau'ri_."

Teal'c seemed pleased with the fact that Bra'tac also saw the potential or whatever in a  _Tau'ri_. "You care for her."

"Indeed."

"So, let me get this straight; you admire her spirit or whatever, but waited until she was the one who left to join her? Moac told us Captain Carter was tortured before the Goa'uld made her a host, yet you never lifted a finger to help her." Jack's anger was getting the best of him, hearing Bra'tac praise Sam but having a pretty good idea of the kind of suffering she had to go through when he could have helped her. "And what, you're feeling guilty now so you're trying to get in touch with us so she can return home?"

Bra'tac's grip on his staff weapon visibly tightened as he returned Jack's stare. "What would you have me do, hm? Release her onto an unfamiliar planet for the animals to feed on? She was betrayed by her own kind and thought to have perished already when my  _thesu_  found her. The only way for her to survive was to use a sarcophagus, which we did not have aboard my vessel. For that, we had to return to Apophis and Klorel."

"Your vessel," Teal'c said slowly, "it was for harvesting?"

"Yes."

"If you hadn't taken her from P3X-425 we would have found her and gotten her the medical attention she needed," Jack argued. "We were coming for her!"

Bra'tac huffed, clearly unconvinced. "Your people attempted to kill her and abandoned her, well aware of Apophis' Jaffa searching the planet."

God, he just confirmed what Jack had suspected all along. The confirmation wasn't as satisfying as he'd thought. "She was injured?"

"Shot with your primitive projectile weapons, here and here," he said, indicating the shoulder and side.

"It is as you and Doctor Fraiser theorized, O'Neill."

Jack swallowed hard, wishing he'd killed that sonuvabitch Grieves. "What about… what about after, when you got back to Apophis?"

Regret flashed over Bra'tac's face and he looked away. "She was interrogated but remained stubborn and would not tell the secrets of the  _Tau'ri_. It frustrated Apophis and Klorel. To gain her knowledge, they made her a host."

"To Herit."

"Indeed. She and Klorel underwent the Rite of  _Un ḥer ȧm setcherit_."

Jack's stomach churned at the tone used and the look of disgust it caused on Teal'c's face. He decided he was better off not knowing the details of the rite mentioned. "Captain Carter went into the sarcophagus?"

Bra'tac nodded slowly and stared off into the distance. "She was healed but we had already entered hyperspace."

"You could not escape until you decelerated," Teal'c stated.

"There was one opportunity when Klorel met with Apophis, but she did not take it. She has told me it was because she had to ensure the attack on your planet would fail."

"And so you waited."

"And so I waited," Bra'tac repeated. "Until you came aboard."

Jack had a pretty good idea of what had happened next and knew why Sam hadn't stayed on the ship or made contact with Earth. Even if she still had her radio or found a different way to get in touch, she wouldn't risk it. Not with Grieves still out there. "Where is she now?"

"Safe."

"And we are here," Teal'c said. "What course of action will you and Captain Carter take now, old friend?"

"She wishes to return home eventually, but knows it is not safe until the human responsible for betraying her is found and punished."

No surprise there, Jack thought. "Whose idea was this meeting, yours or hers?"

Bra'tac raised an eyebrow, as if intrigued by the question. "She did not know who to trust. I told her Teal'c is an honorable warrior and could meet with my other apprentice, Moac."

"A little bit of both, then."

"Indeed."

Jack took a deep breath as he went over their options in his head. There was no way he could bring Sam home, not even if she'd been right there. Grieves was still out there, following orders from who knew. The man hadn't thought twice about killing her, there was no telling what he or his accomplices would do if Sam returned. "I believe you," he told Bra'tac, "or her. Whichever. But I can't take this to my superiors on your say so alone. Do you or Captain Carter have any proof? I want to help and bring her home, but I can't as long as it's unsafe for her."

"She gave me this, for you to have," Bra'tac said, retrieving something from his pocket.

* * *

A short distance away, Sam was observing the meeting between SG-1 and Bra'tac. She and Bra'tac had chosen her hideout because it gave her a view from up high, while being difficult to spot from the ground. She'd held her breath when Jack used his monocular before Bra'tac arrived, worried that perhaps the device  _would_  allow him to get a closer view of her hideout. But the bushes must have obscured her, because he barely looked her way.

She found herself wishing for a monocular of her own as Jack, Bra'tac and Teal'c were in what seemed like a heated discussion. They were too far away for her to listen in, but the sound of raised voices carried and she thought she'd heard her name – Captain Carter – a few times, but that might have been her imagination.

"I wonder if he knows it's me," Sam said, glancing down at her nursing daughter. Ife simply blinked at her in response and continued suckling. "Maybe your daddy is just being professional."

Sam found herself leaning forward when Jack's stance changed, causing the baby to squeak at the threat of getting squashed. "Sorry sweetie." She shifted and moved Ife to her other breast, hoping she'd latch on again instead of becoming fussy or starting to cry because that might alert SG-1 to their presence. That was precisely the reason Bra'tac had wanted her farther away, but Sam had been willing to take the risk because she wanted to see Jack again – moving farther away would make it impossible to get a good look at any of them.

Once Ife settled again, Sam refocused on the meeting taking place below her. Bra'tac reached out and handed Jack something. It was the long lock of hair she'd pulled out, to prove who she was. Jack beckoned one of his team over and it took her a moment to realize it had to be Doctor Jackson – she had completely forgotten about her pen pal. He gave Jack a bag of some sort, to preserve the hair for DNA testing.

She wished she'd had more to give him – them – but she didn't have any of her old things. At least the hair would prove Bra'tac was telling the truth about working with her. Maybe if she'd still had her dog tags… but those had been taken from her a long time ago. Besides, someone might claim Bra'tac had stolen them off her when she was in captivity or dead. If she were honest, Sam wasn't sure she could have parted with them if they were still in her possession – the dog tags would have been her only link to Earth. No, the hair would have to suffice. It was more reliable than the tags anyway, as they'd be able to tell how long ago she'd pulled the hairs out.

"Now let's just hope they'll end up with the right people," Sam mused. If whoever was working with Grieves caught wind of it, they might try to destroy any evidence that she was still alive. "I've got to trust your daddy to work this out. Bra'tac wouldn't hand over the hair if he wasn't convinced they'd help us get home."

That was what they'd agreed on, at least. Bra'tac would tell them about the circumstances in which she'd been found and attest to her injuries, just in case Grieves had told them something different. She just wished she could tell them more about Grieves' actions but she still had no idea why he did what he did – why steal alien technology that would have little use on Earth? All she knew was that it was important enough for him to kill for.

It was up to Jack and General Hammond now to figure out what was going on. She wouldn't be able to go back before they'd gotten to the bottom of it and could ensure her safety. Of course, there was no guarantee she'd be left to her own devices once those in the know of the Stargate Program learned that she'd been a host to Herit and could still use Goa'uld technology…

"I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. They'll probably want to test your blood too, Ife," she said. "But they've never heard of  _harsesis_ , so we won't have to worry about that once I take you home. And no one needs to know that I can still use Goa'uld technology because of Herit, right?"

Ife simply looked at her.

"I know, I know," she murmured. "I'm getting ahead of myself. First, they need to find out what Grieves was up to and if he was working for someone. Then we can start negotiating the rest, to find a way for us to go home."

She reached out to caress her daughter's cheek, once again amazed by this little person she and Jack had created. Ife blinked and stopped nursing, sighing softly as if it had been quite the effort and it made Sam smile. "You are my little miracle," she said, lifting her up to shower her little face with kisses.


	15. The End

**Eskal**  
**Milky Way Galaxy**

The sun was setting by the time Sam and Bra'tac reached the cliff overlooking the stargate. They stopped for a break because Ife started whimpering and Sam was getting hungry. After, they could make their way down and walk the last two klicks or so to the stargate. It would take another hour or two before the sky actually turned dark, as they'd learned during their time on this planet.

Bra'tac kneeled on the ground and started on a fire, for some tea. He drank a surprising amount of it when he got the chance. On the less tropical planets he often made some soup too, if they had enough vegetables.

"Do we have enough food left?" Sam asked, as she sat down on the grass and undid her robe to reveal her hungry daughter. Ife was rooting around for food already, pressing her face against Sam's breast barely giving her the opportunity to remove what passed for a bra among Jaffa women.

"There is plenty to sustain us for several days if we do not find sustenance near our new camp right away."

She took the strip of meat he offered her, while supporting Ife with her other hand as the girl latched on to nurse. "Do you know what kind of weather to expect on that planet this time of year?" She had long ago learned that asking him about the seasons wouldn't give her the kind of answer she was looking for.

"Precipitation." He looked apologetic about it.

"I knew those warm planets were too good to last."

"Indeed," Bra'tac replied. "Soon, we will travel to colder planets. We must prepare ourselves and the child for such circumstances."

Sam nodded and grabbed some of the fruit he'd laid out. They would need to get warmer clothing for Ife and socks or something as well. So far, the baby just wore simple dresses made from the cloth Bra'tac once bought them, but those were too flimsy for snowy climates.

"Perhaps we should visit a marketplace first to acquire the necessary supplies."

"That's a good idea."

"We will need to select items for trade."

She grimaced and bit back a yelp when Ife's new teeth scraped her skin before unlatching. "I might have a few things," she said, lifting her daughter and handing her over to him. "See if she'd like a piece of fruit."

Bra'tac plopped Ife on his lap and looked at Sam, frowning. "You cannot continue  _āmā_?"

"No, it's not that."

"Perhaps Shan'auc knows a trustworthy  _ȧrtu_ -"

"No!" Sam interrupted him, shaking her head. Just the thought of finding someone else to feed her daughter was distressing. How could she possibly trust another outsider with the wellbeing of her daughter? Especially one from Chulak, where Klorel now ruled. "It's fine. I can nurse, it's just that we're both still adjusting to her teeth."

"Ah."

She rolled her eyes at his typical male response. "I know I should be able to nurse her without her teeth getting in the way, because my sister-in-law had the same problem with my niece."

"Sister-in-law?"

"My brother's wife," she explained. At the time, she'd thought it was too much information and only listened with half an ear, but now she wished she'd paid more attention to Laura. "It'll take time, but Ife and I will work it out. I've just had enough for today."

"Very well," Bra'tac said, before turning to Ife and offering her some fruit.

Sam got up and turned her back to the two of them to rub the sore spot. It had happened earlier that day as well and the day before, but she couldn't figure out if it was a latching-on problem or if Ife just thought it was interesting to see what would happen when she bit into her breast. Either way, Sam had had enough. She continued massaging as she walked over to the edge of the cliff. There was some sort of compound she'd never seen before down below. She frowned, "Did you see a compound on the ground when we arrived?"

"There was no building of any kind."

"Well, there's one now." She covered up and peered down, feeling pretty sure it was a building and not some strange spaceship. They'd arrived almost two weeks ago on this planet but had gone inland straight away because Bra'tac knew of an abandoned settlement where they could set up camp. "How long would it take for a Goa'uld to build a compound?"

Bra'tac didn't say anything until he joined her, with Ife in his arms. "It depends on the complexity of the compound and the number of slaves at the Goa'uld's disposal. However, it is possible it was transported here by  _ha'tak_  or somehow shielded from sight when we arrived."

Sam bit her lip, eyeing the distance between the compound and the stargate. "Do you think we can still get to the stargate before they detect us?"

"Yes, but it will take more time and caution."

"We should probably head out soon, then."

"I concur."

Sam watched as he took Ife back to where they'd been sitting and fed her two more pieces of fruit, before taking her a few yards away for a latrine break. It still amazed her that after the initial mess it had been, Ife was now almost completely potty-trained. They just had to remind her with the whistle Shan'auc had taught her and hold onto Ife so the girl could pee or poop. According to some of the mothers Sam had spoken to in a few of the  _kresh'taa_  camps, it would be about another year before Ife could do it all on her own but that was to be expected considering her young age.

Suddenly, the gate down below activated and Sam caught sight of the kawoosh as she whipped her head back.

"Bra'tac!" She hissed, not wanting to be too loud because sound carried well in the evening air.

"What is it,  _Sām_?"

She ducked down and beckoned him over to their fire. "The stargate activated just now."

His eyes were narrowed in that dangerous look he sometimes got and he handed Ife over before sneaking to the edge of the cliff. "You stay there with the child."

"Can you see anything?" The Jaffa's eyesight was better than hers, especially over such distances and with little daylight.

"There are people exiting the stargate."

"How many?"

"Four and what appear to be Jaffa are coming from the compound to investigate."

Sam knew it was irrational but she immediately thought of an SG team on a recon mission. "Whose Jaffa?"

Bra'tac remained silent for a while and when he spoke up, there was confusion evident in his voice, "They appear to be Horus and Serpent Guards."

"Both?"

"Indeed. Such a collaboration is an unusual combination."

Sam was itching to join him to see for herself, but she had a sleepy child in her arms whose safety always had to come first. "Do you think they could belong to Klorel? Moac said that Apophis had been low on Serpent Guards when Sokar captured him. Klorel might be supplementing them with Jaffa from Heru'ur."

Bra'tac must have heard her concern – he was well aware of her fear of Klorel finding her after witnessing her waking up terrified from many nightmares – and came back to join her. "I do not believe this to be so _._ "

"Then who could it be? I mean-" Sam cut herself short when a firefight broke out below them. "Those are MP5s!"

" _Sām_?"

She handed him Ife none too gently and dashed over to the edge. "That's the name of the weapons the  _Tau'ri_ use. Oh my god! The Jaffa… they're overpowering that SG team. We've got to help them, Bra'tac!"

"How do you propose we do this, hm?"

Sam knew he made a good point when he indicated Ife, but couldn't fight the instinct to help her people when there was suddenly a deafening silence. The Jaffa were dragging the bodies of the SG team towards the compound. "I don't know, but we've got to do something. Wait… I only count three bodies."

"Of what do you speak?" Bra'tac asked, cautiously coming over with Ife.

"With the Jaffa. You said there were four people, right? That's the standard number on an SG team."

He peered over the edge, before pointing to somewhere near the stargate. "There. A fourth body."

She frowned and followed his finger. "They left it there?"

"Perhaps that one has perished and the other three are merely unconscious."

"Either way, we need to help them."

" _Sām_ …"

She shook her head and walked back to the fire, waiting for him to join her before she spoke, "The least we can do is see if the fourth person is still alive. Maybe they have a GDO or radio and we can inform the SGC so they can send backup. Please."

He seemed to think this over for a moment. "Very well. You carry the child and I will gather our belongings."

By the time a sleeping Ife was strapped into her sling, Bra'tac had put out the fire and grabbed their things. Together, they made their way down the cliff as quietly as possible. When they reached the ground, the Jaffa were nowhere to be seen. Probably back inside the compound with their three hostages. Bra'tac took point and set a course over the terrain that would allow them to remain under the radar from whoever was in the compound, unless the Goa'uld running it had sophisticated tracking technology, perhaps. But nothing came from the compound, so it was unlikely.

All of a sudden, Bra'tac sped up and almost sprinted to the body. Sam followed at a slower jog, mindful of the baby strapped to her chest. Ife didn't seem to mind though, as she slept soundly. Once Sam reached Bra'tac who was kneeling near the body, she understood his reaction. She'd never seen his former apprentice from up close, but was pretty that was him. "Is that Teal'c?"

"It is."

She pushed him aside and let her field medical training take over as she checked over the unconscious Jaffa. "Good news is he's still alive," she said. "Bad news is that he's injured and has no GDO."

"You can heal him, yes?"

"Maybe." Sam could tell Teal'c was seriously injured and she wasn't that skilled with the healing device yet. Not to mention how wiped out she'd been after healing Bra'tac a few months ago. "I'll try, but I don't think I can heal him completely."

Bra'tac watched her as she used the healing device, the tension visible in his posture. "We can take him to Dar Eshkalon and contact Moac to bring him to the  _Tau'ri_."

Beads of sweat were dripping down Sam's temple and her hands shook from the effort it took to use the healing device, but she was determined to save Bra'tac's friend. "No."

"No?"

Teal'c grunted but didn't regain consciousness and Sam nearly fell over from exhaustion, so she stopped. "No, we can't do that," she said, breathing labored.

"We can."

"No," she shook her head. "I've healed him as best I can and I know the SGC can fix him right up, but we can't leave now. What about the rest of SG-1?"

Bra'tac frowned, gaze going from his unconscious friend to the compound. "Hammond of Texas will send more people to retrieve them, once Moac delivers Teal'c to him."

Sam sat back on her knees, breathing hard and wiping the perspiration from her face. "But you don't know how long it will take for Moac to come or General Hammond to get permission from his superiors to send a retrieval team."

"We cannot leave Teal'c here to save O'Neill and the others."

"Teal'c has a symbiote-"

"It will take too long to heal him," Bra'tac said, interrupting her.

She took a deep breath and put the healing device away. "No, I meant that they only took the  _Tau'ri_."

Understanding dawned on his face. "You fear they will be implanted with a Goa'uld?"

"We can't wait for Moac."

"But what of the child?"

Sam looked down at her sleeping daughter, trying to decide their next course of action. She couldn't go after SG-1 with Ife, but if she left them there and Jack went through the same hell she did, then she'd never forgive herself either. Teal'c needed medical attention and soon. Swallowing hard, she made up her mind and undid the sling. "Take her."

"What?"

"I want you to take Ife and Teal'c somewhere safe, contact Moac and let him take Teal'c back to the SGC."

Bra'tac grabbed her hand, halting her movements. "I cannot take your child and leave you here."

"But Teal'c needs help."

"And so do you," he said. "You cannot do this alone,  _Sām_."

She stood up and cradled Ife, kissing her forehead. "Take her to Dar Eshkalon and ask Moac to bring Shan'auc with him."

He nodded in understanding and took Ife from her. "Once Moac takes Teal'c to the  _Tau'ri_ , Shan'auc can take care of the child and I will return to assist you. Together, we will liberate the  _Tau'ri_  from this compound and return for Ife."

"Yeah," she said, blinking back tears. Bra'tac had told her many times that Shan'auc could be trusted, but even so Sam had never been separated from her daughter. She had to save Jack and his team, though. If she didn't, she might never be able to take Ife home. "That's the plan. Be careful."

"Take care,  _Sām_."

She leaned over to kiss her daughter one more time, before stepping back and checking her weapons. The  _zat'nik'tel_  was strapped to her thigh, a knife was concealed in her boot and the ribbon device hung on her belt. She leaned down and took Teal'c's  _zat'nik'tel_  as well, just in case. "Good luck, Bra'tac," she said, before sliding on her hand device and dashing off towards the compound without a backwards glance.

On her way to the compound, she heard the stargate activate and disengage but refused to look for fear of changing her mind and going after Bra'tac. She needed to be strong to save Jack. Ife would probably sleep through the whole thing, anyway, and not even notice she was in the care of Shan'auc.

Or so Sam kept telling herself.

She was careful when she approached the compound, wary of any hostiles that might come out to investigate the stargate's activation but she didn't run into anyone. It took her a moment to get her breathing under control from the sprint, as it had been a long time since she'd run that fast – it couldn't have taken her more than ten minutes. Rounding the building to look for an entrance took a lot longer. The compound was huge and she was wary of guards or other security measures. Before going in, she took a handful of nuts to keep her energy up and steeled herself for her mission.

It was cooler indoors and the décor was typical Goa'uld – a lot of gold and hieroglyphs along the straight and narrow hallways. To her surprise, there weren't many guards – Serpent or Horus – around, but she still took precautions as she made her way through the compound. She went from one corridor to the next, all of them looking exactly the same. It took forever, like an endless maze that ate up precious time that Jack and his team might not have…

In a way, her surroundings reminded her of the  _ha'taks_  and that brought back a flood of bad memories. The timing was bad and she knew memories like these often came when she felt weak and exhausted, just like the nightmares. She paused and used one of the golden pillars for support, telling herself to focus on her breathing and the situation at hand.

Just as she felt the memories and their accompanying feelings disappear, she heard the familiar clanking of Jaffa armor and boots stomping her way. She pressed herself flat against the pillar and waited for them to pass. With her eyes closed, she focused her mind and sensed six Jaffa. A regular patrol then. She bit back a sigh of relief, knowing they weren't alerted to her presence yet.

The Jaffa moved at a snail's pace through the long corridor and Sam could feel time ticking away before they finally turned the corner. Sam ran off into the opposite direction. The place was huge and she felt like she was going in circles, but the few doors she'd encountered were locked and she couldn't find a way around them. Another hour must have passed by the time she nearly ran into a few hostiles after a door unexpectedly opened. Thankfully – she'd been close to giving up hope.

Sam managed to hide – not that they seemed to be looking for intruders – and noted the strange white outfits the duo was wearing. They almost looked like scrubs hospital staff on Earth wore, except the material wasn't as flimsy. She had no idea what they were doing there or who they were, but Sam decided it was a better outfit to blend in than her own heavy robes. She pulled her  _zat'nik'tel_  out and shot both of them, making a face when they went down.

Dragging the two bodies – humans – to the other side of the corridor was strenuous when she was still weak from using the healing device. Sam stopped to wipe some more perspiration from her forehead and looked around for a place to hide the bodies; there was none. Sighing, she started stripping the one with a physique most similar to her and then, with a grimace, used the  _zat'nik'tel_  twice on both humans, making them disappear. She quickly exchanged her robes for the white outfit, balled them up and stuffed them in a corner behind a pillar. Maybe she could retrieve them on her way out…

Sam found a keycard in the pocket of the white pants she now wore and used it to open the door the two humans had come from after picking up a fallen clipboard. Obviously, there was something important behind that door. Maybe the unknown Goa'uld wanted to use SG-1 for medical experiments or something. The door opened and revealed an elevator.

"Strange," she muttered to herself as she stepped in and swiped the card. They'd had ring transporters on the  _ha'taks_  and considered elevators to be more a human design. They were relatively primitive, after all. Actually, the elevator bore a remarkable similarity to what they used on military bases back home. The last time she'd been in one of those had been the SGC, but she really didn't want to think about that right now. When the elevator doors opened, she was stunned.

"Holy Hannah."

The corridor was a replica of the SGC! She stepped out of the car warily and glanced around. The details were quite remarkable. She wouldn't have been able to recreate the SGC's corridors in such a manner, so it must have been done by a Goa'uld who spent a lot of time there. But who could that be?

Sam dismissed the thought and continued to explore, walking around with her stolen clipboard as if she belonged there. It had been a long time since she'd been in the SGC and she wasn't sure which direction to go, so she randomly chose one. She'd already lost so much time searching for them and was beginning to feel desperate.

After a few dead ends and walled-up doors, Sam saw blast doors at the end of a corridor and quickened her pace. Those doors were supposed to lead to the gate room and maybe there was a clue there…

As she came closer, she overheard voices and quickly took up cover next to the door.

"… contact the Asgard so that we might align with their forces?"

"Try Roswell, little place in New Mexico."

The man's voice made her heart skip a beat and Sam was pretty sure that it belonged to Jack. Relief flooded her system at realizing she wasn't too late. Not yet, anyway.

"What is the sequence of numbers necessary to open the barricade protecting your Stargate?"

That was definitely a Goa'uld, she thought. Sam closed her eyes again and tried to sense the naquadah in the room. Aside from the Goa'uld's strong presence, she sensed at least a dozen Jaffa and knew she'd be no match for them. Not alone. She wasn't strong enough right now to keep the ribbon device's shield up for long enough and Jack and the others might not trust her if she did.

"If you will not give us the information that we desire, we do have another means of retrieving it. An opportunity has presented itself, at a most… fortuitous time. Our friend here is ready for a host. Tell us, which one of you shall it be?"

No! Sam felt the bile rise in her throat when she heard a familiar screeching sound and it took all she had not to run. Instead, she forced herself to keep listening, knowing the Goa'uld would choose a more private moment for any actual implantation.

"We ask you once more. Which one of you shall be host to our new friend?"

Despite the nerves Sam was overcome with, she almost snickered at Jack's reply.

"It has her eyes."

"Silence!" The Goa'uld said menacingly. "Shall it be…our Beloved? We could spend an eternity together. Do you not remember the joys that we once shared in one another's arms?"

A different man replied, "I really try not to."

Sam thought that was Doctor Jackson, since Teal'c was with Bra'tac. The things they were saying sparked a memory for her and she remembered reading about a Goa'uld invading the SGC while she was still at the Pentagon – the CMO had even told her about this Hathor spawning young in the men's locker room.

"Shall it be the female then? She who would challenge us?"

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be, my dear, for the pain a symbiote can inflict in its host is unimaginable."

Sam shuddered and, for a moment, she was back on the  _ha'tak_  with Klorel, but she shook it off. She couldn't afford to be distracted right now.

"It seems that our friend has chosen," Hathor said.

"What, the grey doesn't bother you? All right, fine, let's do it. Just, please, I beg of you, not in the back of the neck, I've got some problems…"

_Jack_.

The sound of a  _zat'nik'tel_ firing was heard before Hathor spoke again, "Take him somewhere where he can be properly restrained."

Sam clenched her jaw and knew that was her cue. Hathor's Jaffa would take Jack somewhere else, more private so they could implant him with the Goa'uld. Hathor wouldn't want too many witnesses, just in case something went wrong with the blending.

So, she would follow them, rescue Jack and together they'd kill Hathor and go back for his teammates.

* * *

Jack struggled against the straps in the cryogenic tank, but he was well and truly fucked. Hathor was coming closer, holding the screeching Goa'uld in her hand.

"We are not pleased."

"Neither are we." He winced when she pulled the memory device from his temple.

"Once host to a Goa'uld, you will take the lives of your friends."

Jack couldn't see them but he knew Daniel and Kershaw were standing a few feet away. God knew where Teal'c was, hopefully at the SGC to bring the cavalry. Hell would freeze over before he'd kill his team. "We don't think so."

"You will have no say in the matter. You will witness their deaths through your own eyes… helplessly." Hathor reached down and tore open his shirt, exposing his chest. "It may take some time for the Goa'uld to take control. But we will greatly enjoy experiencing your eventual defeat."

Panic overtook him when she placed the snake on his chest and struggled against his restraints. But he couldn't get loose and the snake continued to slither up his body. His heart was racing and he briefly wondered if this was how Sam had felt when she was snaked. The snake reared up and he wanted to scream, but was afraid it would jump into his mouth. He looked away, pulling back as far as his restraints allowed him. "Oh god, no."

"And when you awaken from the joining, you will kneel and pledge your loyalty to us."

The snake attacked and Jack could feel him burrow into the back of his neck, the pain and fear he felt unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. "God!"

In the distance, he heard a staff weapon discharge, followed by gunfire but the snake was already entering his body, warm blood trickling down his back.

" _Jaffa, kree mel_!" Hathor shouted and there was a commotion as everyone left.

Jack was struggling, trying to brace himself for what was to come. Sweat broke out over his body and fear clawed at his back. He'd be damned if he let some slippery little snake take over his body! "I'll kill you," he ground out, as Hathor looked down on him, smiling.

Suddenly, her expression changed and she flew over him, screaming as she went down the shaft of the cryo-whatever. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, wondering what the hell was going on but then everything slowly turned black at the edges of his vision…

"Jack? Jack?!"

He blinked, feeling lightheaded and warm and cold at the same time – was he dying? A woman came into view, leaning over him but he didn't recognize her.

"Jack!" The stranger reached for him and turned his face to the right, his cheek hitting the cold metal. "I'm sorry."

He wanted to ask her why she was apologizing – it wasn't her fault that he was dying – but words wouldn't come, until… "Fucking Christ!" Pain exploded in his neck and seared down his back, his hand and feet twitching in shock. "What the hell…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated, moving out of his sight.

"Wait!" He yelled, his voice hoarse. Where did she go?

"I'm here, Jack." She reappeared, turning his head to look at her. "Are you okay?"

He blinked a few times, the black spots disappearing. "Wh-what?"

"Come, sit up."

Jack looked down at his body, surprised to see the restraints were gone. Dazed, he brought one hand up to the back of his neck and winced at the pain he felt upon contact. His fingers came back bloody and as he sat up, he felt more blood trickle down his back. "Ow."

She smiled and that did strange things to his insides. "Sorry about that."

"What happened?"

"I had to remove the Goa'uld before it entered your body completely and wrapped itself around your brainstem." He must have looked at her funny, because her expression softened and showed concern. "Hey, do you remember me?"

Jack was still feeling the effects of almost getting snaked and he idly wondered how severe his blood loss was because he was getting lightheaded again. "Uh…"

"Let me take a look at your neck," she said.

He leaned his head forward at her gentle instructions and closed his eyes. She moved her fingers over his skin, the touch feather light. Her hand was warm and he could feel her breath ruffle his hair. It felt kinda nice. Belatedly, he realized her other hand, the one holding his head up, actually felt cold and metallic from the ribbon device she wore. Panic welled up again and he pushed her away, just in time to see her grab another Goa'uld-like device from her pocket. "What the fuck? Get away from me!"

She stumbled backwards, looking stunned. "Jack?"

"You're a Goa'uld!"

"No, it's me!" Her voice sounded pained and she kept her distance, raising her hands in surrender. "I just wanted to heal your wound."

Jack blinked and got to his feet. He waved her off when she looked like she wanted to help him as he moved unsteadily. Wiping his bloody hands on his pants, he looked around the room. There was no one there, except her. "Hathor?"

She frowned and indicated the shaft under his cryo bed. "Dead."

"Right." He took a deep breath and scrubbed his hands over his face. "You used that hand thingy on her, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"And that snake?"

"I threw it in after her."

They stood there, simply staring at each other. She was wearing the same outfit he was and hers was just as ill fitting. But she also had a Goa'uld hand device. Her hair was long, reaching all the way down to her waist. It was blonde and a bit tangled.

He wondered what it would look like in the sun.

When his gaze rested on her face, he felt a spark of familiarity. He blinked again, trying to remove the cobwebs from his brain. Those blue eyes… "Sam?"

She beamed at him and he wondered why he hadn't recognized her earlier. "Yeah, it's me."

"But… how?"

"Believe it or not," she said, chuckling softly, "I was in the neighborhood. Bra'tac and I heard a firefight and went to check it out. We saw Hathor's Jaffa take you away."

"Teal'c?"

"I healed him as best I could," she said, holding up the healing device. "But he didn't regain consciousness. Bra'tac went to meet Moac, so he could return Teal'c to the SGC."

Jack was confused by the unexpected turn of events and said the first thing that came to mind. "So, you're not a Goa'uld then?"

She winced and he wanted to take it back, but she replied before he could say anything, "No, not anymore. I went to Cimmeria-"

"You fixed Thor's Hammer. That's pretty amazing."

The hurt look on her face was replaced by another charming smile. "Thanks. Didn't Bra'tac already tell you this?"

He shrugged and winced at the pain it elicited in his neck. "He didn't really elaborate."

"Sounds like him. Let me check your wound."

Jack forced himself to relax when she got closer and let her examine his neck. "How bad is it?"

"You're going to need a lot of stitches or you could let me fix it."

"I thought you said you couldn't heal Teal'c?"

She pulled back and shook her head. "It requires a lot of energy and focus. I'd been walking all day and I think his injury was too severe for the energy I had left."

He grabbed the hand that still rested on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Maybe I should let the Doc stitch me up then."

"I'm willing to try."

"As tempted as that sounds, I don't think it's a good idea." Jack was thinking ahead and knew questions would be asked if he showed up at the SGC without so much as a scar when his team witnessed him getting snaked. It would be difficult enough to convince people she really wasn't a Goa'uld anymore; how would they react if they found out she could use Goa'uld doohickeys?

Understanding dawned on her face and she looked away, cheeks flushed. "You're right. That's not a good idea. We should probably get going then, because you're still bleeding and I don't have a med kit."

"Do you know where my team is?"

"The Jaffa took them away, but I'm pretty sure that firefight we heard earlier is the backup General Hammond sent. It shouldn't be difficult to get out of here now," she said and thrust a zat in his hand.

Jack admired the way she suddenly took charge and, knowing he was a liability with his bleeding neck, followed her when she headed for the corridor. "Lead on, Macduff."

She glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled, dimples showing. "Yes, Sir."

He found himself smiling back at her, even when she was already ten feet away. Quickly, he caught up with her, steadier on his feet than before. He still couldn't believe she was here, though. And she seemed so… normal. There was no awkwardness between them and she seemed genuinely happy to see him. Hell, she'd risked her own life to go after him and his team. Then again, she probably wanted to go home and seeing fellow Earthlings might be enough to cheer her up.

"Uh, I don't know which way," she said, pausing at the end of the corridor. "I have a keycard if that helps."

"Ah yes. Well, fortunately I know the SGC like the back of my hand. Follow me."

Together they made their way through the fake SGC and into the Goa'uld facility. They worked well as a team, he thought.

After the tenth corridor, they suddenly ran into Daniel and Kershaw.

"Jack!"

He smiled and clasped Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel. Lieutenant. Good to see you."

"Yeah, you too. We were worried about you when that Jaffa took us away, but Colonel Makepeace came to our rescue. There was just a little problem with a force field preventing us from reaching the stargate, so Makepeace let us go back to disable it. We figured we could use the opportunity to look for you, too," Daniel said, smiling deviously.

Kershaw nodded, "We found the generator and blew it up, Sir."

"Um, okay."

Daniel looked around Jack, smiling politely. "Hello."

Jack glanced back and realized Sam was standing there nervously. "Oh, right! You remember your friend Captain Carter, right?"

Daniel did a double take, eyes wide. "Whoa! I almost didn't recognize you. Hi! It's great to finally meet!"

"Um, hi," Sam said, leaning away as Daniel enthusiastically shook her hand.

"Sam, that's Doctor Daniel Jackson. Your pen pal," Jack added. "And this is Lieutenant Kershaw."

Sam took another step back but smiled politely at Kershaw. "Nice to meet you."

Jack figured this was probably the first time in a long time since she was among this many people after planet hopping with Bra'tac and felt bad for her. "Sam saved my ass. Ripped that snake right out of my neck."

"Wow," Kershaw said, eyeing the bloody wound on Jack's neck. "You have great timing, Ma'am. Guess the Colonel is lucky you happened to be around."

"Lucky coincidence," Jack said. "Where's the cavalry, Lieutenant?"

"Just outside, Sir."

It took them another twenty minutes before they found the exit but by then the whole field had been cleared of Jaffa, much to Jack's surprise. He spotted Makepeace and his team and jogged over to him. "I didn't know you had it in you, Robert."

Makepeace chuckled and hit him on the arm. "Afraid I can't take all the credit, Jack. Those two Jaffa saved our asses with that neat little spaceship of theirs. Don't know where the hell they came from or how they knew we needed help, but they had great timing."

Jack looked over to where he was pointing and wasn't surprised to see Moac and Bra'tac standing next to something that looked like an older version of the death glider. "Lucky us."

"I thought Jackson and Kershaw said you got snaked," Makepeace said hesitantly.

"Yeah, you're not the only one who got his ass saved in the nick of time," he replied, gesturing at his bloody neck. "So, if we're finished here, I'd like to go back to the SGC and get the Doc to fix me up."

"Sounds like a plan," Makepeace said, before calling his 2IC over with Jack's retrieved things and handed them to him. Then, he turned back to the teams he'd brought along. "Time to go home! Let's go, people."

Jack hung back with Sam as everyone made their way over to the gate. "Go on, Daniel," he said, when the archaeologist waited for them at the steps. "Just gotta have a word with Bra'tac."

"We'll keep it open for you." Daniel said, before following the others and stepping into the gate.

Jack turned back and saw Sam staring at the event horizon. God, she had to know she couldn't come with, right? He stepped between her and the gate, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Sam…"

"I know," she said, smiling sadly. "You've got to go."

"I want you to know we didn't believe Grieves' version of events," he said. "But we couldn't prove anything, so he was eventually transferred out."

She nodded, smiling sadly. "I know, Bra'tac told me what you said. As long as Colonel Grieves is out there, working for someone else, I can't go home."

"We'll figure it out, it's just gonna take time."

"Don't worry about me. I've got Bra'tac on my side and Klorel is way too busy keeping the Jaffa on Chulak from rebelling to come looking for me. But you should go, before you pass out from blood loss."

Jack hesitated for a moment, before he took his GDO and gave it to her. "Take this, just in case."

"I can't…"

"The code is 1631253," he said. "I'll make sure it remains an active code, so you can use it if you ever get in trouble."

"Okay."

He brushed her cheek and locked eyes with her. "I promise I'll clear the way for you to get home."

Sam smiled and reached up to kiss his cheek, "I know you will. Now, go home."

 

The End…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing and sharing it. As you've probably already guessed by the ending, this isn't the end yet. I've been working on the sequel for the past month and hope to have it finished in a few weeks. Keep an eye on my Twitter (@femsuii) for teasers and such of 'Only the Just Survive'.


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